


when i watch the world burn, all i think about is you

by dummysapphic



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Adora (She-Ra) is a Dork, Adora and Hordak brotp, Adora is in Love with Catra (She-Ra), Alternate Universe - Adora Remains with the Horde (She-Ra), Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Horde Adora (She-Ra), Horde Lord Adora (She-Ra), Human/Vampire Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian Catra (She-Ra), Lesbian Disaster Adora (She-Ra), Princess Catra (She-Ra), adora redemption, just two vampire besties overthrowing the tyrannical leader of their kingdom through assassination, no beta we die like adora and hordak, nothing too crazy, role reversal??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:33:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 48,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28400202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dummysapphic/pseuds/dummysapphic
Summary: They point to a small table across the banquet hall with four people sitting at it. There’s a muscular blonde woman with large purple veins covering her exposed arms, a pale man with blue hair and pointy ears, a woman wearing a long robe and a mask that covers her entire face, and a man with white slicked-back hair that goes down to his shoulders. All four of them have red eyes and very sharp fangs.It’s then that Catra hears Double Trouble speak again, “Those are the Horde representatives. They’re all vampires.”Catra turns back to them, “What’s the Horde? And what’s… a vampire?”----OR: Catra is the Princess of Halfmoon and Adora is in the Horde. Chaos ensues.
Relationships: Adora & Hordak (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 131
Kudos: 196





	1. gossip

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my new AU that I've been thinking about for a while now! If you're here from my other fic, then welcome back! If you're new to my work, then I hope you enjoy this! The fic title is from doom days by bastille.
> 
> I want to clarify a couple of things before we get into this, though:
> 
> 1\. Shadow Weaver and Horde Prime will NOT HAVE redemption arcs. They might have a couple of nice moments where you might think it's going to happen, but it won't. Adora and Hordak will both have redemption arcs, though. 
> 
> 2\. Every single character in this AU (except for Frosta) is above the age of 20. They are all consenting adults. 
> 
> If you guys enjoy this, you could leave a kudo, a comment, or both! They're appreciated greatly and motivate me a lot to keep writing :)
> 
> my tumblr is @eloquentsapphic if you guys want to go check out what i post there (spoiler alert: it’s mostly lesbians and probably some sad poetry)
> 
> Oh! I also made some art for this fic! I'm better at writing than I am at drawing, so don't make fun of it too hard haha it's a very rough sketch. This isn't what Adora's wearing in this chapter, by the way.
> 
> [](https://ibb.co/YyknD8w)

\----  
**Catra**

The party guests filter into the room slowly as the night goes on. Most of them aren’t particularly popular on Etheria, just attending for a night of fun. 

Some of the guests’ names, though, are known across the kingdoms. Due to their popularity among citizens, these people commonly fall victim to gossip. Some of the words whispered between guests are true, and some are completely off. 

Three guests sit at a table and look around the large, elegant banquet hall. People from every kingdom have come to celebrate the new year in the kingdom of Salineas. 

One of the guests, a green-skinned shapeshifter with a talent for acting, turns to one of their friends. “So, Catra. How are you enjoying the party so far?”

Catra, the Princess of Halfmoon, sighs, “I don’t know. I mean, I just got here but it’s pretty boring so far. I don’t even know anyone here except for you guys and my parents.”

As if on cue, Cyra and Milo Driluth, the Queen and King of Halfmoon, wave cheerily from their spot at their table across the banquet. Catra waves their way with an awkward smile. 

The actor pats Catra’s shoulder with a sly grin, “I can help with that, darling!”

Catra flashes them an incredulous look, “How are you going to do that? Nobody here even knows me.”

This is the first party that Catra is attending and to say she’s nervous is an understatement. Her parents are very… protective, to put it lightly. They rarely let her leave her kingdom in fear that something will happen to their precious only daughter. She’s only met the other princesses a handful of times. Scorpia, the Princess of the Scorpion Kingdom, and Double Trouble, a mercenary from the Crimson Waste, are two of her only friends. Well, Entrapta is too, but she’s too busy conducting social experiments on the guests to socialize. 

Double Trouble sighs, “Well, I can’t get you to talk to people, but I _can_ tell you everything I know about some of the guests.”

Scopia joins the conversation, already intrigued, “Ooh, which guests?”

A grin reappears on their face, “Well, I do know a lot about the other princesses, and the Horde representatives, if you’re willing to listen.” 

Catra groans and rolls her eyes at her friend’s theatrics, “Fine. Tell us everything.” 

Scorpia scoots closer so she can listen as Double Trouble begins. 

The first person they point to is a short, purple and pink-haired girl wearing a fluffy dress, “That is Princess Glimmer of Brightmoon. She’s a bit spoiled if you ask me, and has a really high-pitched voice, but she’s okay.” They move their slender finger slightly to the left, “And that’s Bow, her best friend. He’s the Master Archer of Brightmoon and one of the best knights in the kingdom. He and Glimmer have been best friends since they were kids, but I doubt it’ll be long before they’re dating.”

Catra raises a brow, “Really?” 

Double Trouble nods, “Definitely. They’re all over each other, way too much for two people who are _just friends_.” They do air-quotes around the last two words.

“Oh, and that tall lady standing beside Glimmer is her mother, Queen Angella of Brightmoon,” The actor adds.

They continue by pointing to a dark-skinned blue-haired woman who looks like she’d rather be anywhere but here, “That’s Mermista, the Princess of Salineas. Her parents are hosting this party. She always looks bored out of her mind and has been known to be rude to guests who annoy her, but she's nice when she wants to be.” 

Their attention is brought off of the Princess by a man with a moustache singing loudly by her side. Double Trouble groans, “That, my friends, is Sea Hawk. Mermista claims that he’s just her chauffeur, but everyone knows they’re dating in secret. He loves to sing sea shanties, though, so watch out for that.” 

Catra can already tell she doesn’t like Sea Hawk. Mermista, though, she could see herself being friends with her. 

Double Trouble looks around the ballroom for a new person. Once they find one, they point excitedly, “Ooh, there! That’s Perfuma. She’s the Princess of Plumeria, and she might be the happiest person you’ll ever meet. She loves meditating and all plants, but I heard a rumour that she absolutely hates cacti.”

Catra laughs loudly at that, snorting slightly, “Cacti? Really? Where did you hear that?”

Scorpia blushes slightly, “Oh, I don’t know, Wildcat. I think she’s nice, even if she hates cacti.”

Double Trouble shrugs, ignoring their blushing friend, “I never tell my sources, Kitten.” Catra groans at the secretive response but lets them continue. 

They hum as they search for another princess, “Hmm… You’ve already met Scorpia and Entrapta but… Oh! There, that’s Princess Frosta of the Kingdom of Snows. There was a terrible accident with her parents a few years back so now she rules her kingdom by herself, with the help of her castle staff. From what I’ve seen, Frosta’s a pretty strict ruler. She held Princess Prom a couple of years ago and the rules were _endless_!” 

Catra frowns, “How old is she?” 

Double Trouble looks over to her and, once noticing the look on her face, tones down their excitement at sharing all this information, “She’s eleven.” 

Catra’s frown only deepens as she looks down at the intricate flooring. She could never imagine losing her parents at all, especially not at such a young age. She wonders how Frosta managed to keep going after losing her parents, how she manages to lead an entire kingdom without the people who raised her. Catra’s always had her parents with her. She can’t imagine a life without them by her side, guiding her in the right direction. 

She’s brought out of her thinking by Scorpia’s voice, “Do you have any info on anybody else? You’ve covered all the Princesses.” 

Despite not having any more princesses to gossip about, Double Trouble grins excitedly and claps their hands together, “Of course! I left the best for last, darlings.” 

Catra looks back up at the eccentric actor, already curious as to who’s left. 

They point to a small table across the banquet hall with four people sitting at it. There’s a muscular blonde woman with large purple veins covering her exposed arms, a pale man with blue hair and pointy ears, a woman wearing a long robe and a mask that covers her entire face, and a man with white slicked-back hair that goes down to his shoulders. All four of them have red eyes and very sharp fangs. Well, Catra assumes the masked woman has red eyes and sharp teeth underneath that mask. All of their fangs are definitely way sharper than Catra’s canines, though.

Catra’s brows furrow as she looks at the mismatched group. They all look absolutely miserable and like they’re about to drop dead at any moment. She’s never seen anyone who looks like them before.

It’s then that Catra hears Double Trouble speak again, “Those are the Horde representatives. They’re all vampires.” 

Catra turns back to them, “What’s the Horde? And what’s… a vampire?”

Double Trouble laughs quietly, “How do you not know who the Horde are? And what vampires are? Have you been living under a rock?”

‘ _No, I just have strict parents_ ,’ Catra wants to retort back. Instead, she blushes slightly and crosses her arms in embarrassment. 

Double Trouble must know why Catra’s embarrassed as their chuckle dies off and they pat her on the shoulder, “It’s fine, darling. It’s much more fun if I tell you myself, anyway.” 

Catra doesn’t get the chance to ask what _that_ means before Double Trouble begins talking again.

“Okay, so the Horde is this group of vampires that are basically known for being bloodthirsty killers. From what I’ve heard, they’re all really disrespectful and love making people suffer. They don’t seem that bad when I talk to them but then again, the ones I’ve talked to seemed to like me. Oh, and vampires are people who are, essentially, dead. They don’t have heartbeats or any blood in their bodies. One way to recognize a vampire is by their red eyes or sharp fangs, which they use to suck all the blood out of people.” 

Catra stays silent. Eventually, she regains her ability to speak, “Are you sure that’s not an over-exaggeration? That seems a little over the top.” 

Double Trouble shrugs again, “That’s what my sources told me. And what they’ve told me themselves. ” 

Scorpia looks over to the group, then back to her friends, “So, who are those four?” 

Double Trouble seems to get excited at that, smiling, “Ooh, this is the best part.”

They rub their hands together in excitement. Then, they point to one of the vampires, “That creepy guy with the white hair is Horde Prime. He’s the ruler of the Horde. Apparently, he rarely actually kills humans. He gets his minions to do it for him so he never gets his hands dirty. Pretty lazy, if you ask me.” 

They point to the other man sitting beside Horde Prime, “That’s Hordak. He’s basically Horde Prime’s minion. He just follows him around and does whatever he asks. He and Adora are pretty good friends, though. I heard from someone once that apparently, Horde Prime was experimenting on humans to try and make them into clones of himself, but the experiment failed and Hordak was one of the only results of it that survived."

Catra takes a closer look at Hordak’s arms and notices blue electricity-like marks covering his upper shoulders. She didn’t notice at first because they’re almost covered by fabric, but there’s a bit peeking out. 

Double Trouble points to the next person at the table, the masked woman, “That’s Shadow Weaver. She’s really creepy and is always super condescending when she talks, as if she thinks she’s better than everyone else. She’s wearing that mask because there was this big accident hundreds of years ago that covered her face in scars. Because of her scars, she makes Adora do her chores for her, including killing any humans she asks her to. Oh, and she also uses dark magic.” 

Catra pauses, “Wait, did you say hundreds of years ago? How old are those people?”

“Oh, did I forget to mention that? Vampires are immortal, meaning they never die. Everyone in the Horde is six hundred years old at the very least.” 

Oh. Catra knows that Glimmer and her mother, Angella, are immortal but she’s never heard of an entire kingdom of immortals. 

Double Trouble continues nonchalantly, pointing to the now slightly smirking blonde, “Last but definitely not least is Adora Grayskull. She’s the youngest person to ever join the Horde. It’s rumoured that she’s already killed at least ten thousand humans, though. Shadow Weaver’s her mentor, but the two absolutely hate each other. I’m surprised Adora hasn’t killed her yet.” 

Scorpia turns to look at Adora with a confused look, “So… what are those purple marks all over her arms? And those electricity-marks on Hordak?” 

Double Trouble already seems to know the answer to that, “Oh, well there are two ways that a vampire is made. Either they’re born as a vampire, like Shadow Weaver and Horde Prime, or they’re killed and brought back, like Adora and Hordak. Shadow Weaver used dark magic to kill Adora, and Horde Prime used electricity to kill Hordak. There’s this rumour that Adora used to be a really good person and some big hero on Eternia, her home kingdom, but then all the dark magic corrupted her and made her evil for the rest of eternity.”

Catra scoffs as she looks at the blonde, “I don’t know, Double Trouble. She doesn’t look that powerful to me. Maybe your sources are wron-” 

She trails off as Adora turns her head slowly to look directly into her eyes with a small smirk. As soon as her red eyes meet Catra’s mismatched ones, she knows that the sources definitely aren’t wrong. Any confidence that Catra has instantly vanishes under her confident gaze. Double Trouble laughs at her sudden nerves. 

“Oh, I forgot to mention that vampires have heightened hearing. So, Adora definitely heard you say that. Hi, Adora.” 

The blonde gives them a small wave from across the banquet hall as her smirk widens. Catra gulps as her ears pin themselves to the side of her head.

Scorpia looks over to Double Trouble nervously, “She’s not going to… kill us, is she?” 

Double Trouble grins, “Well, that’s up to her, I guess.”

The three of them turn to look at Adora, who shakes her head slowly. Catra and Scorpia sigh in relief, while Double Trouble laughs loudly. The smirk on her face doesn’t leave, though, which only makes Catra more nervous. This whole situation seems to be amusing for Adora as she turns and says something to Hordak, who chuckles slightly. 

Catra turns around and pretend to do something else as her brain replays what just happened over and over again.

\----  
**Adora**

She waves to the three humans from across the banquet hall with a smirk plastered to her face. This isn’t what she expected from this party, but it’s a welcome distraction from the boring conversations happening at the table. Humans really are so amusing sometimes, especially Etherians. 

Hordak must see her waving as he asks with full curiosity, “Who are you waving at? We don’t talk to anyone outside of this table.” 

Adora turns around to look at him, “Those three humans over there are gossiping about us.” 

Hordak chuckles as he peers over to see the two very nervous women and one laughing lizard, “Was it accurate?”

Adora shrugs, “I don’t know, I wasn’t listening that well. All I picked up was ‘ _bloodthirsty killers_ ’, so I’d say pretty accurate.” They laugh louder at the over-exaggerated rumour.

Their laughter is cut off by Shadow Weaver sighing, “Would you two stop gossiping about yourselves and _try_ to act serious?” 

Adora groans, “Would _you_ just let us have some fun for once? We were just looking at the people attending this party, like that human over there.” She points in the direction of Catra.

Shadow Weaver looks in the direction where Adora’s finger pointed until she finds the hiding brunette. “That’s not a human, Adora. She’s a Magicat. Her name is Princess Catra of Halfmoon.” 

Adora raises a brow, “Really? She’s a princess? Huh…” She looks back at the magicat again, noticing the fluffy cat ears and tail as she stares for a little too long to be considered normal.

Shadow Weaver’s scolding voice cuts through her thoughts, “Don’t even think about killing her, Adora. That would definitely start at least one war.”

Adora whips her head around to look at her mentor, “Oh, come on! How do you know I was even planning to do that?” 

The masked woman crosses her arms, “I know you too well, Adora.” 

This kind of bickering is extremely common between Adora and Shadow Weaver.

Adora mirrors her by crossing her arms, too, “Well, I wasn’t. I was just looking at her, out of curiosity. Do you really think I’d be stupid enough to kill a princess?” 

“Yes.” The way she said it tells Adora that she definitely thinks Adora is _that_ stupid. Hordak tries to stifle a laugh at the jab as Adora slides down her chair in annoyance. 

She turns to Hordak, who is still grinning at the blonde, with a huff. 

Adora shoves him a little too hard, “Oh, shut up.”


	2. fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Horde representatives attend a party held by the Queen of Brightmoon.
> 
> Adora decides to have some 'fun'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! It's mostly just chaos and no plot, but still. This chapter basically just shows how the Horde characters act with each other and others.
> 
> If you wanted to know how the characters that are different from canon act, here's a helpful summary of each one:
> 
> Adora: Mommy issues multiplied by 2. Basically a 500-year-old with the brain of an angry, rebellious teenager. Reminds me a little of canon Catra.  
> Hordak: Just wants to get through the day, and make sure Adora doesn't get herself killed. He kinda gives me 'tired older brother' vibes.  
> Catra: Basically a nicer version of her canon-self. Loves her family a lot.  
> Glimmer: Spoiled brat with a heart of gold. Really doesn't like the Horde, though.  
> Double Trouble: Basically a more loyal version of their canon-self.  
> Bow: The best knight in Brightmoon and the Master Archer. Definitely has been in love with Glimmer for years now.  
> Adora and Hordak: The idiot sibling duo even though they aren't actually related by blood. It's a miracle they haven't accidentally blown up the Horde at this point, honestly.
> 
> And then everyone else is the same, I think. 
> 
> Oh, and the technology in this AU follows canon. So no cars, and no phones. Think skiffs and tablets. This does have some Victorian era AU vibes to it, though.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this! If you do, you could leave a kudo, a comment, or both! They are both greatly appreciated, and I read and reply to all the comments with a smile on my face :)
> 
> Ok, bye-bye.
> 
> TW: blood (Honestly, pretty much every chapter has blood in it. This is a vampire AU, after all. If that's a trigger for you or you just don't want to read about blood and/or violence, I would suggest either being cautious while reading this or not reading this at all. I'll still include the warning, no matter what, though.)

\----  
**Adora**

The harsh sunlight shines through the large window in her bedroom. She squints her eyes open and sits up with a groan. Thankfully, the sun doesn’t burn like it would for someone of her kind due to the ring she wears on her right hand. That doesn’t make it any less annoying, though. Adora stands up slowly and checks the time on her clock. 

Seven-forty five in the morning.

She groans again, louder, and looks into the aluminum mirror in her bedroom. Every other mirror in Etheria is made of silver, meaning that Adora can’t see herself in it, but Hordak managed to figure out a way to make a mirror that works for them a few hundred years ago.

Adora’s wearing a gray t-shirt over dark gray shorts that go down to the middle of her thigh and white socks. Her hair is a mess, and there are slight bags underneath her eyes. It’s way too early for this. 

After combing her fingers through her hair, Adora leaves her bedroom and goes down one of the set of stairs which lead to the main foyer of the large house she lives in. As she descends the dramatic-looking staircase, Adora sees Shadow Weaver waiting at the bottom of the stairs and the front door open with Horde Prime and Hordak standing outside. 

Shadow Weaver sighs as she looks at Adora’s outfit, “Is that what you’re wearing to the party today?” 

Adora crosses her arms, “What party?”

Horde Prime answers instead of Shadow Weaver, “The Queen of Brightmoon is holding a small party for the leaders of each kingdom and a few others. Since I’m the ruler of the Horde, I am going and I have decided to invite you three as my humble guests.” Horde Prime never invites anyone as his ‘humble guests’ other than Hordak, Shadow Weaver, and Adora. 

Adora turns back to Shadow Weaver, “Do I have to go?” She doesn’t bother trying to whisper since Horde Prime will hear her no matter what. He doesn't seem too offended, though.

“Yes.” It’s a simple response that doesn’t leave any room for argument. That doesn’t stop Adora, though. 

“But why? What could I possibly miss at a party at Brightmoon? Some boring princess speeches?” The last party they went to, that party in Salineas, was only two or three months ago. These almost constant celebrations are getting annoying.

Shadow Weaver turns so she’s facing Adora fully instead of seeing her in her peripheral vision, “You’re going, no arguments. Besides, this will be a great opportunity for a good meal. Now, go change into something decent. You’re not going in your pyjamas.” 

Adora thinks about it, despite knowing she has to go no matter what. She is pretty hungry right now, so maybe she could just kill one of the guards or something. She turns and goes back up the stairs, “Fine.” 

\----  
**A few hours later…**

Hordak stands alone near a wall as he looks at the person saying a speech on the stage with a bored expression. ‘ _Looks like Adora was right about the boring princess speeches_ ,” Hordak thinks glumly.

Speaking of Adora, Hordak hasn’t seen her in a while. This is weird for the blonde since she usually just stands with Shadow Weaver at parties, but Hordak doesn’t think about it too much. Adora is very capable of handling her problems.

As Hordak continues to look forward at the speaker, a quiet sound can be heard from the back of the banquet hall. None of the other party-goers notice due to their weak hearing compared to a vampire’s sense of hearing. Not even Shadow Weaver and Horde Prime notice from their spot near the front. They’re pretty far away, though, so it makes sense that they didn’t hear the quiet sound. The only reason Hordak even heard it is because he’s so far in the back of the banquet hall, so he’s a lot closer to where the sound came from.

Hordak turns in the direction of the sound just as the speech ends, one of the doors that leads to a large hallway where all the washrooms are. 

After a couple of seconds, Adora walks out of the door with a way-too smug grin plastered on her face. Soon after this, a brunette who looks to be in her early to mid-twenties stumbles out of the door with a blissful smile on her face. Adora waves goodbye to her before making her way over to her blue-haired friend.

Hordak crosses his arms with a sigh. Adora’s going to be extra annoying today.

The blonde comes up to stand beside him with a grin on her face, “Hey! What’s up, Hordak?” As she’s waiting for a response, they hear a group of girls whispering and giggling near them. Adora turns to see the girl who just came out of the hallway door whispering with her friends, no doubt about what just happened there. Adora winks and gives them a small wave, which makes them blush and turn away to whisper more. Hordak rolls his eyes when Adora has her back turned to him.

When Adora turns back, he doesn’t say anything, just glaring at Adora with a tired look in his eyes that reads ‘ _Can you please shut up?_ ’

Adora crosses her arms, too. “Oh, come on! Why are you so grumpy today?” Hordak huffs at the accusation, “I’m not grumpy!” Adora gives him an incredulous look, which only works to put him in a worse mood.

“I’m just bored, is all. This party is terrible.” 

Adora looks around the banquet hall with a sigh. This party does seem a lot more disappointing than the one they went to in Salineas. She wonders if she can try to find that Magicat princess again. She turns to one of the mirrors placed on the wall and frowns when she can’t see herself in it at all. A question she’s been meaning to ask Hordak pops into her head again.

She turns to look at her friend, “Hey, how did you figure out how to make a mirror that works for us?”

Hordak seems surprised at the sudden change of subject, but answers anyway, “Oh, I just used aluminum instead of silver when making them. I got a lot of help from a… friend, though.” He immediately regrets mentioning that last part when Adora gasps dramatically.

“You have friends other than me?!”

Hordak frowns as he looks at Adora, “Yes, I have other friends besides just you. Well actually, just one, but still.” 

Before Adora can say anything else, Horde Prime walks over and stands beside Hordak. “Oh, were you telling her about that princess that you’ve become acquainted with?” 

Adora’s jaw drops, “You’re friends with a _princess_?!” 

Hordak blushes slightly as Horde Prime continues for him, “Yes, he is. He talks about her all the time. Isn’t that right, little brother?” Hordak doesn’t respond. 

Adora looks around the ballroom, “Oooh, which one is she?” 

Horde Prime points to one of the princesses, “The one with the purple pigtails. Her name is Princess Entrapta of Dryl.” 

Adora looks around until she spots the purple-haired girl, “Aw, she’s cute! Don’t you think so, Hordak?”

Hordak blushes more and looks down. 

Adora’s smile turns mischievous, “I’m gonna go introduce myself.” She quickly walks forward towards Entrapta. Hordak’s head shoots up and, in his panic, he runs after Adora to make sure she doesn’t say anything embarrassing about him. Adora reads Horde Prime chuckle loudly behind her as she moves.

The blonde smiles brightly when she reaches the princess, “Hi! My name is Adora. You’re Princess Entrapta, right?”

The Princess looks over at Adora and inspects her for a second before shaking her hand strongly, “Hello there! Yes, I’m Princess Entrapta of Dryl. Are you with the Horde?” 

That’s a very blunt question, but Adora appreciates the straightforward question. Adora laughs, “Yes, I’m with the Horde, why? Is that a problem for you?”

Entrapta shakes her head, “Oh, no! I’ve actually been doing some really fascinating experiments about vampires with my friend-” Her sentence is cut off by the arrival of Hordak quite literally running into the conversation. Entrapta continues as if this interruption didn’t phase her at all, “With my friend, Hordak, who just arrived.”

Adora looks over to her friend who is still slightly out of breath from trying to run across a banquet hall without causing a scene. “Hordak! So great of you to join me and my new friend, Entrapta.”

The Princess seems confused by Adora’s words, “You two know each other? And you… you think we’re friends?”

Adora elbows Hordak lightly on his arm, “Oh, Hordak and I? We’re pretty close friends. I’d go as far as to call us _best friends_ , even. And of course we’re friends, Entrapta! If you want to be, of course.” 

Entrapta mumbles something into a recorder before looking back up at the two, “Fascinating. I didn’t know that Hordak had a best friend. Also yes, I’ll be your friend, Adora.” Entrapta says that last part with a bright, excited smile. 

Hordak pushes a grinning Adora off his arm with a huff, “Adora and I are NOT best friends! We’re _acquaintances_ at best.” 

Adora shoves him back, harder, “Aw come on, don’t be like that. We’ve known each other for the past five hundred years, we’re definitely not acquaintances. Just admit it, we’re friends!” 

Hordak pushes her again with a grumpy look on his face, “No, we’re not, and stop pushing me!” Adora rolls her eyes and pushes back, “You stop pushing me first!” 

They both push each other at the same time, trying to shove the other to the floor. It doesn’t seem to be working, though, as the two are both just leaning on each other as they shove angrily while still arguing. They’re not angry at each other, per se, but they do both want to win. Entrapta watches in fascination as the two have a mini-fight in the middle of the banquet. 

Their small pushing contest is abruptly ended a few minutes later by Shadow Weaver stopping Adora from pushing Hordak more by pulling her away. After Adora leaves and Hordak regains his footing after almost falling, he and Entrapta start talking. 

Shadow Weaver lets go of Adora’s arm when they’re far enough away that no humans can hear them. Adora turns back to see Hordak and Entrapta talking with a proud smile, “Aww, look how cute they are.” 

Shadow Weaver sighs, “Are you done playing matchmaker now?” 

Adora looks over and, once she sees the stern look on Shadow Weaver’s face, turns around to face her fully, “Yeah, I’m done.” It’s obvious Shadow Weaver wants to tell her something important.

The masked woman points to a guard standing near a tall woman with large wings on her back, “That Brightmoon guard’s shift is about to end. When she leaves, follow her outside and kill her where nobody can see you.” 

Now that Adora thinks about it, she is really hungry right now. Well, at least she won't be for long. Adora turns to her mentor with a grateful look, “Okay, thanks.” Shadow Weaver nods.

Just then, the guard leaves the winged woman’s side and leaves out the door which leads outside. Adora watches her leave, waiting for a few seconds before following her. 

As Adora’s walking towards the door, she hears Shadow Weaver’s voice behind her, “Be careful!” She already knows that Shadow Weaver isn’t referring to Adora’s safety, but is telling her not to get caught and get the Horde in trouble. At this point, Adora knows not to expect Shadow Weaver to care about her at all. 

Adora steps outside and immediately see the guard walking towards a skiff parked near the doors. This is way too much of an open space to kill someone without getting caught. Adora sighs, knowing what she has to do. 

She retracts her fangs and wills her eyes to turn back to their original blue-grey colour. It’s a slightly painful process, but it’s necessary for the situation. Adora walks up to the guard, acting scared.

Once Adora arrives in front of her, she forces her voice to sound shaky and afraid, “I need your help! A man just stole my purse and ran down that alley over there!” She points to an empty, dark alleyway beside the banquet hall. Nobody will notice her there.

The guard nods and the two of them run over to the alley. 

The second that Adora and the guard are completely out of sight from anyone passing by, Adora pushes her against the wall. She finally extends her fangs back out as her eyes revert to red.

The guard’s eyes widen at the sight, already knowing what the red eyes and fangs means, “Y-you’re in the Horde?” 

Adora grins, “Yeah. Surprise!” 

The guard tries to get Adora to spare her. This proves to be difficult when she can’t think of a reason for someone like Adora to not kill her, “Please, I have… I have a dog that I need to take care of!” It’s a ridiculous excuse and they both know it.

Adora laughs, “You know, I’ve always been more of a cat person.” 

With that, Adora sinks her teeth into the guard’s neck, already tasting the blood.

\----

Adora walks back into the banquet hall, making sure there isn’t any blood on her face anymore.

She feels a million times better than she did when she first arrived. The eye bags previously on her face have disappeared, and she looks like she’s practically glowing. She takes a seat at the Horde’s assigned table with a grin on her face.

Shadow Weaver looks up at her, “So, I take it the kill went well?”

Adora’s grin widens, C’mon, when have my kills ever gone wrong?” Shadow Weaver chooses not to answer that, for Adora’s sake.

Hordak looks over at Adora but then his eyes fall slightly downwards to her outfit with a smirk. He points to Adora’s shoulder.

The blonde looks down at it to see a few drops of blood seeping into the silky fabric of her button-up shirt. “Aw, I got blood on my favourite shirt.” Her shirt is a deep maroon colour and her pants are black, so any blood on her outfit isn’t very obvious.

Shadow Weaver scolds her, “Don’t be so reckless, Adora. You’re going to get yourself killed if you’re not careful.” Adora knows Shadow Weaver is right. There are vampire hunters all over Etheria, waiting for an opportunity to strike. They usually don’t target people in the Horde, though. Just lowlife vampires who are either too young or too weak to get into the Horde.

“You would love that, wouldn’t you?” It’s probably not a good idea for Adora to annoy Shadow Weaver like this, but she doesn’t care. It’s fun, and this party is boring.

“Yes, I would. At least then I wouldn’t have to deal with your attitude.” 

Adora crosses her arms and leans back in her chair.

An hour passes before Adora can’t take the boring conversations between Shadow Weaver and Horde Prime anymore. She turns to Hordak, “Hey, come on. Let’s go.” Due to her whispering and the loud sounds in the background, Shadow Weaver and Horde Prime don’t hear her. 

Hordak turns his head to look at Adora, “Why?”

“Because I’m bored.”

He has a conflicted look on his face, “Are you sure we won’t get in trouble?”

Adora rolls her eyes, “Yes, I’m sure. Now, get up before I leave without you.”

The blonde stands up. Shadow Weaver doesn’t even glance over at her, too busy talking with Horde Prime about the most mundane things on the planet. Hordak watches their reactions, or lack thereof. Once he’s sure it’s safe to do so, he stands up. The two walk away from the table until they're out of earshot. 

Hordak turns to Adora, now speaking in his regular voice, “So, what now?”

Adora looks around the banquet hall for something to do. After looking for what feels like an eternity, she finally spots something that will definitely be entertaining enough to pass by the time. She points to the bar located at the corner of the large hall with a mischievous smirk on her face.

Hordak follows where Adora’s finger is pointing. His eyes widen when he sees what she’s pointing at. He turns back to her with a nervous look on his face, “I don’t know, Adora. That seems like a bad idea, and you _know_ how easy it is for us to get drunk.”

Adora does know how easy it is for them to get drunk. Due to vampires having practically no blood in their bodies, alcohol goes directly into their limited bloodstream and makes it so that they’re wasted after a few shots. 

“Yeah, but it would be fun,” is the best argument Adora can come up with on the spot.

Hordak looks between the blonde and the bar, “I don’t think Horde Prime would want me to be getting drunk at a party he invited me to.”

Adora rolls her eyes again, “Aren’t you tired of listening to Horde Prime, though? You’ve been listening to him for, what, five hundred years? I think he’ll survive if you break the rules for once.”

Hordak mulls this over. After a minute, he groans, “Fine, but if we get in trouble it’s on yo-”

His sentence is cut off by Adora dragging Hordak across the hall to the bar by his arm. She has a determined and slightly terrifying look in her eyes as she leads the two of them to their demise.

This isn’t going to end well.

\----  
**Catra**

She groans as her head drops down to rest on the table. ‘ _This party is worse than the last one, and I don’t even have Double Trouble to entertain me with gossip_ ,’ Catra thinks sadly. Double Trouble decided not to come to this party, mainly due to the fact that this party is only intended for the leaders of each kingdom and a few guests. They knew this party would be boring and they spared themself the trouble. Catra wishes she had that option right now.

While Catra’s moping at an empty table as her parents socialize somewhere else, Scorpia sits down in the chair beside her. “Hey, Wildcat!”

Catra jumps in her place but sighs when she sees her best friend, “Jeez, you scared me. You know, for someone so big, you really have a way of sneaking up on people.”

Scorpia laughs, “Yeah, I’ve been told that before. Anyways, why are you sitting here so sad?”

Catra sighs, “This party is SO boring! Nothing exciting is happening, it’s just a bunch of old people talking about boring stuff like meetings and trading.” 

Scorpia is about to reply when a loud giggle can be heard from nearby. Catra turns in the direction of the giggle to see a blonde and a blue-haired man stumbling towards them. Catra immediately recognizes them as Adora Grayskull and Hordak from the Horde. 

Catra turns to Scorpia with a grin, “A couple of drunk vampires? This party is really starting to look up.” Scorpia looks nervous at the idea of interacting with Adora after what happened last time, “I don’t know if we should be talking to them, Wildcat.”

The brunette frowns, “Why not?” 

Scorpia looks over at the two intoxicated Horde representatives to make sure they’re not listening in on their conversation. The two are currently arguing over whether the colour of a curtain on the wall is either lilac or lavender so… probably not. 

“Because they’re evil! Everyone in the Horde is evil, but those two are like… the worst of the worst. They’re probably coming over here to kill you now. You heard Double Trouble yesterday, they’re bloodthirsty killers.”

Adora and Hordak finally make it to Catra’s table, both leaning on it for support. Catra and Scorpia turn to see what incredibly important piece of information they’ve come to tell them. Before Adora can say anything, she notices Shadow Weaver storming up to them with an infuriated look on her… mask. 

Her eyes widen, and so do Hordak’s when he sees her, too. The two crouch down to hide under the table, but their legs give out and they’re both sitting on the floor now. They start laughing at their predicament as Shadow Weaver arrives. 

Catra smirks, “So these are the bloodthirsty killers of the Horde?”

Shadow Weaver looks up at the Magicat with a scowl. How she manages to show that even with a mask on is a mystery to Catra. “Terrifying, aren’t they,” Shadow Weaver drawls out sarcastically. 

Shadow Weaver looks back down at Adora and crosses her arms, “Are you drunk right now?” It’s obvious she knows the answer to that question but wants to hear what Adora has to say for herself. 

Adora looks up with the smug confidence of someone who definitely isn’t totally hammered on a ballroom floor right now. She is somehow able to speak without stuttering or hiccuping once, which is a miracle in and of itself, “I don’t know, _Mom_. Am I? Because I _thought_ Hordak and I were having fun at the most boring party in the world, but I forgot that you have no idea what fun is. See, fun is when-”

Adora is cut off by Shadow Weaver’s harsh tone, “I know what fun is, you imbecile.” It seems like this whole predicament is giving Shadow Weaver a headache, as she brings a hand up to rub her temples from the open sides of her mask. 

The blonde on the floor gasps theatrically, “You do?! Since when?” 

Catra snickers, and Scorpia tries to hold in her laugh as best as she can. Shadow Weaver glances over at them and, upon seeing them trying to hide their laughter, sighs in annoyance. The masked woman grabs Adora by her wrist tight enough that Catra can see it reddening from here and drags her across the floor back to their table. The blonde waves animatedly to the two princesses from the floor as she’s dragged away, “Bye, Kitty! Bye, Scorpion Girl!”

Catra and Scorpia laugh at the incorrect names, then look down at the almost-asleep Hordak on the floor in front of them.

Eventually, Horde Prime walks over to Catra’s table and pulls Hordak up onto his feet. The blue-haired man is unstable on his feet, almost falling over again. Horde Prime wraps an arm around his shoulders and leads Hordak back to the table, too. 

This boring party was _so_ worth it just for this bizarre experience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I will not be telling you who was giggling when Adora and Hordak were stumbling to Catra's table. That will stay a mystery forever.
> 
> Also, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I'm writing this at around 9 pm EST so I still have 3 hours before it's 2021. I hope it goes better than 2020, but I don't want to jinx it. So, I hope 2021 goes better for you than 2020 did :) 
> 
> bye!


	3. you can't force me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora has tried a lot in her life. 
> 
> She's failed a lot, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! Ok, let me just start off by saying this chapter is DARK. Like just so depressing and heartbreaking. I made myself cry writing this. It's so sad and honestly really violent in my opinion. Please read the trigger warnings before reading this and make sure you're okay with them. I made the warnings really specific for this chapter so they're kind of a spoiler, by the way.
> 
> So I KNOW some people say that vampires don't breathe, but I disagree. If they didn't breathe, they wouldn't be able to speak (air needs to move past the voice box to work). So, that's why vampires can be choked in this fic. 
> 
> Also, here's the ages of the Horde reps:  
> Adora: 561  
> Hordak: 643  
> Shadow Weaver: 926  
> Horde Prime: 2163
> 
> Oh, and a very tiny portion of this fic is inspired by [THIS amazing Shera vampire AU fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26756470/chapters/65273839) so if you have any spare time I highly recommend reading it. Our fics are totally different, but some very tiny parts of this chapter are inspired by their fic.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this! A kudo, comment, or both are a great way to show your appreciation for this fic. I love the support this fic has gotten, even though I just started it, and any more support always makes my day! 
> 
> Ok, bye-bye!
> 
> TW: choking (through magic), blood, violence, stabbing, beheading, death, torture

\----  
**Adora**

Most of the night is a blur after she arrives back at her table. She hears Hordak sit down in the chair next to her, but doesn’t turn. 

Adora looks over at Shadow Weaver, “Why did you bring us back here? This party was just starting to get fun.”

Shadow Weaver glares at her, “Your definition of fun always involves being a nuisance to me. You two aren’t leaving this table until the end of the party.”

Adora scoffs loudly, “You can’t force me.” She stands up while still wobbling slightly on her feet. 

She’s about to turn around and walk away when she feels all of the air leave her lungs. Adora looks back over at Shadow Weaver to see a small, dark purple circle of magic in front of the masked woman. 

Adora _really_ hates magic, especially sorcery.

She gasps for air, but it’s no use. Adora continues trying to breathe, hoping it will work eventually. She sees spots in her vision and sits down with a shaking hand on her chest. Despite seeing Adora sitting down and still struggling, Shadow Weaver doesn’t relent. The masked woman has used this spell on Adora a countless number of times, but it still hurts the same every time. 

Hordak glances over at Adora worriedly then turns back to Shadow Weaver, “Come on, she’s learned her lesson. Stop it, she’s going to faint.” Shadow Weaver doesn’t stop. Instead, she makes the spell stronger. Adora gasps out louder at losing even more air as she raises a hand to her throat, desperately hoping it’ll help. She sends a pleading look to Shadow Weaver, hoping it’ll make her end this. 

A few seconds pass and Horde Prime sighs, “Alright, this has gone on for long enough. Let the girl go, Shadow Weaver.” At Horde Prime’s demand, Shadow Weaver finally puts her hand down, making the rune in front of her disappear. 

Adora gasps out in relief at finally being able to breathe. She immediately begins coughing violently and leans her head downwards. A couple of guests look in the direction of their table at the hoarse coughing. The blonde bites back the snarky remark on her tongue, knowing it would just anger the masked women even more. 

Adora spends the rest of the night sitting in her chair. There’s no point in rebelling right now, it’s just going to cause more problems for her. She and Hordak talk a little but it’s obviously forced. It’s difficult to talk when Shadow Weaver is sitting so close to them, waiting for Adora to screw up so she can punish her. 

Adora already knows she hasn’t received the worst of her punishment yet. 

\----  
**A few hours later…**

Once the door of their house closes, Adora sighs. She turns to go up the stairs to her room, feeling exhausted from the night, but is stopped by Shadow Weaver’s voice behind her. 

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Adora turns her head to look at Shadow Weaver over her shoulder, “To my room.”

Shadow Weaver points to the stairs that lead downstairs, into the basement. “Did you really think you wouldn’t get any punishment for your behaviour today?” She doesn’t have to say the actual punishment for Adora to already know what it is. 

The blonde turns fully and walks towards the basement stairs, “How long am I staying there?” Shadow Weaver thinks about this for a moment, “Ten days.” Adora nods and forces herself not to groan at the thought of going ten days without any food. 

Adora knows not to rebel right now. It would only end badly for her. Over the years of being hurt for rebelling in the smallest ways, Adora has learned when to fight back and when to just take what’s given to her. Today isn’t the day to fight back.

She descends down the stairs and turns to step into the small metal cell waiting for her. Adora sits down on the dirty, old mattress on the floor. The mattress is the only item in the cell since vampires don’t need to use the washroom and she obviously isn’t getting food any time soon.

Adora hears Shadow Weaver walk down the stairs, along with the clanging sound of keys. Shadow Weaver walks in front of the open door and closes it with a loud slam. As she’s locking the door, she looks down at Adora with a disappointed look. “This is for your own good, Adora.”

The blonde looks up at Shadow Weaver, “ _Sure_ it is.” The sarcasm is practically dripping from her voice. Shadow Weaver turns and leaves up the stairs she came down from wordlessly, turning the light off when she does. 

Adora shifts so she’s lying down on the rock-hard mattress. There isn’t a blanket, so she curls into a tight ball in hope that it’ll warm her up. Due to there being almost no blood in her body, it doesn’t. 

It looks like this is where she’ll be staying for the next week and a half. 

\----  
**Ten days later…**

Adora awakens with a groan as she looks up at the bright lightbulb above her. She sits up on her mattress as Shadow Weaver comes down the stairs with a ring of keys in her hand and something else Adora can't see.

Her time is up.

Shadow Weaver unlocks the door, but Adora doesn’t move from her spot. Mainly because she doesn’t know if she can walk without getting dizzy, and she doesn’t want Shadow Weaver to see her in this weakened state. Adora’s eyes have red veins coming out of them due to not eating for ten days, and she’s exhausted. Sleeping on a rock for a mattress hasn’t been very helpful, either. She’s in an especially bad mood today.

Shadow Weaver throws a small bag of blood that looks like it’s from a hospital onto the floor in front of Adora. “Drink that, then go get changed. Oh, and take a shower, too. You smell like a dead animal.”

‘Whose fault is that,” Adora asks herself inwardly. 

Instead, she slowly grabs the pouch and opens the spout. Despite how hungry she is right now, Adora doesn’t drink all the blood in the bag in a rush. She takes her time, savouring the feeling of finally eating after ten days.

Just then, Adora remembers something Shadow Weaver said, “Where are we going?” Her voice is raspy from not talking for ten days and she practically has to croak out the question. 

“Horde Prime and I are going to Halfmoon for a meeting to discuss undisputed land between our kingdoms. You and Hordak have to join us, but you won’t attend the meeting.”

Halfmoon is the closest kingdom to the Horde, so the two kingdoms regularly have meetings to discuss any issues that have arisen between the two. The meetings are… usually civil. 

Adora squeezes the bag to get any more drops of blood from it. When nothing comes out, she stands up with a grunt, “Fine.” She manages to walk past Shadow Weaver and up the two sets of stairs to her bedroom without collapsing or shaking enough for the masked woman to notice.

She looks in the mirror of her room and sighs. The red veins around her eyes are still blatantly obvious to anyone who looks her way, her hair is full of dirt and knots, and her skin and clothes have a light layer of dirt and dust covering them. It looks like she was dug out of her grave moments ago.

With a sigh, she walks into the washroom and locks the door behind her. Adora undresses for her shower as she turns on the tap. She looks into the now slightly foggy mirror. 

Most of her upper body is covered in the purple veins of the dark magic that killed her that fateful day over five hundred years ago. She tries not to think of that day too often, since she’s not the only person that died that day. 

\----  
**Five Hundred and Forty-One Years ago…**

Adora walked with her brother, Adam, and her parents, Randor and Marlena Grayskull, towards where someone reported a vampire.

Her family was famous for being the best vampire hunters in all of Eternia. They were known for their powerful swords that had just a touch of magic in them. While they’re all very strong, Adora is known as the most powerful person in the family, having the most potential for success and the highest kill count. They were powerful and could defeat any vampire that came their way.

Well, almost all of them.

Adora turned to Adam, “Hey, what’s this vampire’s name, anyway?”

Adam grinned, “Light Spinner.”

Adora laughed, “Wow, what a ridiculous name. Why do all sorcerers have such weird names, anyway?”

The twins laughed as their parents trailed behind them with smiles on their faces. The four of them didn’t usually go on missions together, but they didn’t really have anything else to do today. 

The Grayskull family finally made it to the location. A dark, but small house in the middle of nowhere. _Classic_ vampire hiding spot. Adora smirked, “This is going to be easy.”

Her mother scolded her gently, “Don’t get too confident, Adora. You never know what to expect with vampires.” She lifted a hand to gently ruffle her daughter’s hair, which made Adora laugh.

Adora smiled at Marlena, “I know, mom. I’ll be careful, okay?”

Marlena nodded and the four walked into the property. The door was wide open, which meant either the home was abandoned or this was all a setup. They had to check regardless since they couldn’t be certain. 

Randor walked in first, then Marlena, then Adam, and finally, Adora stepped into the house. The group looked around the area. There wasn’t any dust on the surfaces, and the home definitely looked lived in. Randor walked over to a table in the kitchen where there was a cup of tea. He touched the small porcelain cup. His eyes widened when he felt heat coming off of the cup. Randor turned to his family, “Someone’s here.”

The four of them split up to go look for anybody in this house. Randor and Marlena checked the basement, Adam checked the rest of the first floor, and Adora went upstairs to inspect there. 

In hindsight, splitting up while searching for someone dangerous probably wasn’t a great idea.

Adora walked slowly through the rooms upstairs, looking for anything out of the ordinary. She checked two of the rooms upstairs and found nothing. She stepped into the last room cautiously, with her sword up and ready. The perfectly-blue gemstone gleamed brightly, even in the dark room.

She was about to leave the room after inspecting it carefully when the door slammed closed loudly, keeping her in the room. Adora ran towards the door and tried to pull it open to no avail. She was locked in. 

Adora turned back around to look for who did it. As she was looking around in the dimly-lit room, a woman in deep purple robes and fabric covering half her face appeared out of thin air in front of Adora. Right before the woman could strike, Adora called out to the person closest to her.

“ADAM!”

The woman used a spell to hit Adora hard enough that she landed sitting on the floor, leaning on the wall to the left of the door. She then used another spell to restrain Adora’s hands behind her back. 

Adora turned to the half-masked woman in front of her, who she assumed to be Light Spinner, “What do you want?”

Light Spinner stood over her, looking down at the blonde, “To see you dead.” It was then that Adora realized it was a bad idea to call Adam. Adora tried to keep on a brave face, “Why? We hurt someone you care about so now you’re angry? Big deal.”

chuckles slightly, “I think you misunderstood me. I don’t want you to die permanently, that would be too easy. I want to turn you into the very thing you kill every day.” 

The dark sorceress crouched down in front of Adora, “You have been killing my kind for far too long, and I think it’s time someone gave you a taste of your own medicine.” 

Adora’s eyes widened, “You-You can’t do that! You can’t force me.” She regretted saying that last sentence the moment it left her mouth. 

The half-masked woman laughed darkly, “Are you sure about that?” She turned around, grabbing a cup and a small knife. Light Spinner placed the cup down next to Adora and cut her own hand open with the knife. Adora watched the dark, thick, almost-black blood drip down. Once the cup was filled to her satisfaction, she waved off the spell restraining Adora’s hands. Adora kept her hands behind her. 

Instead of the restraining spell, Light Spinner cast a new spell that made Adora’s body feel like it was being electrified from the inside. With a flick of her wrist, Light Spinner forced one of Adora’s hands out from behind her back.

Shakily, Adora was forced to drink every last drop of blood in the cup. Once the spell wore off and Adora regained control of her hand, she threw the cup across the room with a loud clatter. It didn’t matter what she did, though. She was too late. Tears flowed out of Adora’s eyes, “No…”

Just as the cup clattered to the floor, Adam ran into the room, followed by Marlena and Randor. Quickly, Light Spinner cast the magical restraints back onto Adora’s hands. Once Adora’s family saw the state of her, they grew enraged at the dark sorceress in front of them. 

All three of them pulled their swords out, ready to fight. Adam stepped forward first, “Don’t you _dare_ hurt my sister.” Marlena and Randor stayed back, waiting to see how the fight would go. 

What the three of them didn’t know was that Light Spinner was a sorceress _and_ a vampire. This was their first time coming into contact with such a rare vampire. It's not often you find a vampire that uses sorcery. Especially one that practices dark magic. That kind of magic has been banned for years. They never thought anyone still used it. 

They were wrong, it seems. 

Light Spinner cast the same spell he cast onto Adora and sent Adam flying into the wall. It cracked slightly under the pressure. Marlena moved to go help Adam while Randor moved forward to attack Light Spinner. The dark sorceress pushed them both backwards, as well. The couple fell unconscious. Adora tried to call out for them, but it didn’t work. 

Light Spinner moved forward to stand in front of Adam. The blond tried to fight back, but he was too weakened. Light Spinner grabbed his sword from him. Adora’s eyes widened at the sight.

“NO! PLEASE, DON’T,” she screamed as loud as she could. Light Spinner looked straight at Adora as she plunged the sword into Adam’s chest. Adora screamed again, begging Light Spinner to stop. 

The dark sorceress moved towards Adora’s still unconscious father. Adora tried again, “PLEASE! SPARE THEM!” Light Spinner grabbed Randor’s sword and used it to chop his head clean off. Adora screamed louder at the sight of her dad’s head rolling towards her. She’d started sobbing loudly at this point. It almost drowned out the sound of her entire family dying before her. 

Light Spinner then walked in front of Marlena’s unconscious body and grabbed her sword. Adora tried a different approach this time, “I’LL GO WITH YOU WILLINGLY! IF-IF YOU LET MY MOM LIVE.”

The half-masked woman paused with the sword in her hand, “You will?”

Adora nodded as tears continued rolling down her face, “Yes, but only if you let her live.”

Just as Adora was begging for her mother’s life, Marlena opened her eyes slowly. Adora gasped at the sight, “Mom?”

Marlena opened her eyes fully as she looked around. Tears quickly pooled in her eyes and then fell down her cheeks as she looked at her dead husband and son. She looked back at Adora, almost relieved to see her still alive. 

Light Spinner sighed, “You two get thirty seconds before I kill you, Adora.” 

Adora didn’t even glance at Light Spinner, looking directly at her mom. Trying to memorize every single part of her. 

Her smile. The way her eyes crinkled when she laughed. Her voice. Her hugs. Her soft hair. The way she could always make Adora feel better. When she’d ruffle Adora’s hair. Her laugh. How people always said Adora looks just like her. Her bright blue-grey eyes. The beautiful golden tiara she always wore on her head. The way she looked at her family with such love. When she would kiss Adora on the forehead as gently as she could. The way she would love so strongly and unrestrainedly. 

Marlena crawled to where Adora was sitting and hugged her as tightly as she could, “I love you so much, Adora.”

Adora wished more than anything that she could hug her back, but her hands were still restrained, “I love you too, Mom. I don’t want you to leave.” Her voice cracked at the end. 

Marlena ended the hug and placed her hand as gently as she could on Adora’s face. Adora leaned into the hand, knowing how much she’d miss this. “I’ll never leave you, Adora. I’ll always be with you. Be good for me while I'm gone, okay?”

Adora nodded with everything she could, “I will, Mom. For you. I promise.”

Tears were still pouring out of each of their eyes as they both tried to make their last few seconds together last as long as they possibly could.

Light Spinner walked over to stand behind Marlena, “Okay, time’s up.” She placed her hands on Marlena’s face as dark magic came out of her hands and into Marlena’s head. 

Marlena held Adora’s hand from behind as she forced herself to say one last thing before she would forget her entire life, “I’ll always love you.” Adora nodded and then, just like that, Marlena closed her eyes and fell backwards onto the floor. Her grip on Adora’s hand loosened. 

Adora cried harder than ever as she looked at her mother for the last time. Sure, she’s not going to die, but she won’t even remember who Adora is. The woman in front of her isn’t her mom anymore. She’s a stranger. 

Light Spinner sighed as she watched Adora cry, “Your time is up, too.” 

Adora lifted her head up from where she was looking at her mom. She had a confused look on her face, but it soon turned into dread when she remembered what she agreed to. 

Light Spinner definitely knew why she was terrified now, “You _do_ still have to hold up your end of the bargain. Or I’ll have to kill the last family you have left. Is that what you want?”

Adora shook her head, knowing she’d burst into tears again if she tried speaking. Light Spinner stood up as Adora prepared herself for what’s coming. 

No matter how much Adora could have prepared herself for what was about to happen, she never could have been ready for the unbearable onslaught of pain that hit her in the form of a huge beam of dark magic. A blood-curdling scream left her mouth at the pain, and she continued to hear herself scream throughout the whole process. She looked down at her arms to see large purple veins snaking their way down. She didn’t have to look at the gemstone on her sword to know that it was being corrupted just like she was. Eventually, the pain became too much to bear and Adora closed her eyes. 

She knew she should have tried harder to fight back against her own death, but there was no point.

Adora died, and there was nothing she could do about it. 

\----  
**Present**

Adora realizes then that she’s crying. She always does when she remembers that day.

With a shaky sigh, she wipes her tears and steps into the shower. The burning water feels nice on her cold, clammy skin. Adora’s thoughts quickly move from how nice the shower feels back to what it was like when she first turned. 

She remembers trying as hard as she could not to kill anyone. Not to drink any blood. She asked if she could drink animal blood instead, but Shadow Weaver told her that it was toxic for vampires. She almost fell into a statue-like state because of how long she went without feeding. 

She remembers crying the first time she had to kill someone, and Shadow Weaver telling her it’ll get easier with time. 

She remembers getting punished by Shadow Weaver every time she showed compassion for any humans. 

She remembers learning how to hide the crushing guilt that ate away at her whenever she thought about how many lives she's taken. 

She tried to be good in the beginning. She tried with everything she had. But she couldn’t. 

Adora tried to be good, but she failed.

She broke her promise.


	4. friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Horde representatives pay a visit to Halfmoon.
> 
> Adora has a bad day.
> 
> One person makes her day infinitely worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm really sorry about not updating this as much as I'd like, I've been really busy with school and work and my mental health hasn't been doing amazing lately.
> 
> Regardless of my problems, I hope you guys enjoy this! This chapter mainly just talks about the friendship between Adora and Hordak and also talks about Halfmoon. I know we haven't seen a lot of Catra in this fic, but she does make a small appearance in this :) I PROMISE that Catra and the other princesses will be a main part of the story as of now!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter! I actually like it a lot! If you do like this, a kudo, comment, or both are very, very appreciated. Seriously, your comments motivate me so much and they make me so happy.
> 
> Oh, and I know that in some vampire stories people want to be vampires and try to become one but in this story nobody chooses to be a vampire and it's a terrible fate.
> 
> Ok, bye-bye!
> 
> TW: slight violence

\----

The rest of her shower is uneventful, except for some crying that Adora will deny she ever did.

She slides the glass door of the stand-up shower open and steps out, steam from her blistering hot shower following. Adora looks into the aluminum mirror and sighs. The red veins are still visible under her eyes and she has an almost permanent scowl plastered to her face. Paired with the large purple veins all over her upper body, Adora looks straight out of a child’s nightmare. 

She had hoped that the hot water would help to make her feel better, and it did, but it didn’t make her look any better. Oh, well. Nothing she can do about it now. Might as well go get ready. 

Adora wraps herself in a towel and walks back to her room, locking the door behind her. She doesn’t really have to worry about Shadow Weaver while upstairs since the masked woman usually spends her time in the basement doing some kind of dark magic that Adora doesn’t care to ask about.

She looks through her closet, which is exceedingly large given the fact that she’s been the same size for the past five hundred years. 

This is just a meeting, so she won’t dress fancy. It’s not like anyone will see her, anyway. She and Hordak will likely spend the time wandering around Halfmoon and scaring strangers for fun.

Adora takes out a grey hoodie and black sweatpants. Halfmoon is known for being a bright and sunny kingdom, and Adora already knows that the sun is going to irritate her. She makes sure to grab a pair of sunglasses while she gets changed, too.

After getting ready and doing her best to look ‘presentable’, Adora goes downstairs. She is greeted by Shadow Weaver standing by the door expectantly, as if Adora is going to make them late. 

Shadow Weaver glances at Adora with a look that has an equal mix of smug superiority and disgust in it, “You look terrible.”

Adora rolls her eyes, “I’ve eaten once in the past ten days. This is the best you’re getting.”

Shadow Weaver seems annoyed by Adora’s attitude but doesn’t argue for once, “Fine. Let’s go, we’re going to be late.”

\----

Halfmoon is exactly what Adora expects from the kingdom.

She doesn’t come often, but when she does she’s greeted by familiar sights. 

Magicats. The bright sun glaring down at her. The friendly King and Queen. An almost odd amount of regular cats. Halfmoon Palace. Street vendors selling huge varieties of meat. Fluffy, pointy ears. Tails. Sharp canines that are just a smidge shorter and duller than a vampire’s fangs.

Really, she should be grateful for their friendliness towards the Horde. Every other kingdom either looks down at vampires with disgust or is terrified of them. Rumours of the cruel monsters with razor-sharp teeth and a thirst for blood have scared off the rest of Etheria from the Horde. Except for the Magicats. They never seem to look at the vampires with fear _or_ disgust. 

Maybe it’s because the Horde and Halfmoon are the only two kingdoms that are made up of non-humans. Maybe it’s because the citizens of Halfmoon understand what it’s like to be shunned because of something they don’t have any control over. Maybe it’s because the citizens of Halfmoon understand what it’s like to scare humans away because of their sharp teeth and ‘unnatural’ eyes. Maybe the Halfmoon citizens just pity the vampires of the Horde who have been forced to spend the rest of eternity surviving off the blood of humans. 

Whatever the reason is, Adora is grateful for one kingdom that at least tries to understand the Horde. 

Adora and Shadow Weaver walk into the palace, finding Hordak and Horde Prime almost instantly. The four of them actually blend in exceptionally among the Magicats, who primarily wear darker shades of clothes. Well, the three of them do. Horde Prime is dressed in a stark white and grey outfit that even has a cape, so he stands out like a star in the darkness of the universe.

Horde Prime turns to them and smiles. Adora never liked his smile, she finds it creepy. The long-haired man strolls over to the two women, “Ah, so glad you two could make it. I would start some small talk but we have a meeting to attend. Shall we?” He points his arm in the direction of the meeting room doors, where the sound of shuffling chairs and muffled conversations can be heard from inside.

Shadow Weaver turns to Adora, “Meet back here in two hours. Don’t break anything, and at least _pretend_ to be happy that you’re here instead of in a cell.”

Adora holds back a groan of annoyance, “Fine. Have fun at your meeting.” Her snarky tone lets Shadow Weaver know that she couldn’t give two shits about what happens in the meeting. 

With that, Shadow Weaver and Horde Prime turn and open the doors, entering the meeting room and joining in on the conversations. 

Without saying a word, Adora walks in the opposite direction she came in from. Hordak follows with a slightly guilty look on his face. The two walk in silence until it’s broken by the blue-haired man’s voice.

“What was the punishment this time?”

Adora sighs tiredly, “A week in the cell with no food.” 

Hordak sucks air through his teeth, “Really? For getting a little drunk at a party?”

Adora nods with a blank expression, “Yup. I guess Shadow Weaver was in an especially bad mood that night.”

It’s a wonder how Hordak is always surprised to hear what new and cruel punishments Shadow Weaver gives Adora for just being happy, despite having heard all of these methods countless times over the past five centuries. Every time Adora gets an especially harsh or painful punishment, Hordak does everything he can to get Adora to feel better about it. Sometimes Adora does feel better, and sometimes she doesn't. Either way, Adora couldn't be more grateful to have a friend as good as Hordak for as long as she has. 

The two continue walking in silence, but it’s not awkward or uncomfortable. They continue walking until they reach an outdoor garden. Usually, they would keep going until they got to a town and then start annoying strangers with harmless pranks. It’s funny and makes sure nobody gets hurt. Today, though, Adora isn’t up for that and Hordak knows this.

He turns to a large bench, “Hey, wanna go sit down?” 

Adora glances over at the chair, grateful for a break for her tired legs. The two make their way to the bench and sit down swiftly. They look forward to the view in front of them.

Large bushes covered in colourful flowers wrap around a small field of freshly-mown grass that lays in front of them. The roofs of neighbouring houses peek over the horizon and some smoke from some chimneys can be seen flowing into the air. To Adora and Hordak, this type of weather would be considered warm and sunny. To the Magicats of Halfmoon, who have adjusted to the sun and heat of their kingdom, today is a brisk and chilly day.

Adora feels her eyes drooping closed slightly as she looks forward. Being starved for ten days isn’t exactly _amazing_ for stamina. The almost overpowering fatigue has been near-impossible to fight, and she knows she won’t be able to keep her eyes open for much longer.

Hordak glances over and, upon seeing her half-closed eyes staring at the horizon, frowns in guilt. If he hadn’t agreed to go along with Adora’s plan, she wouldn’t have been starved for a week and a half. He should’ve looked out for her more.

“Adora,” he says quietly enough for her to hear. 

Adora turns to look at him groggily, forcing her eyes to stay fully open. It’s obvious she’s trying as hard as she possibly can to avoid looking weak in front of Hordak, which only makes the blue-haired man’s frown deepen. He hoped that, after knowing each other for over five hundred years, Adora wouldn’t be afraid to show weakness in front of Hordak.

Hordak nudges his shoulder up, “C’mon, take a nap. I’ll wake you up when we need to leave.”

The blonde sighs, “Is it _that_ obvious I’m tired?”

Hordak laughs. “Yes. You look a lot more than just _tired_ , though. You look like you’ve just woke up from a hundred-year coma.”

Adora groans as she leans her head down to rest it on Hordak’s shoulder, scooting over so she’s comfortable. Her eyes immediately flutter closed as she sighs again, this time in relief at the chance to sleep.

The comfortable silence washes over them again. Hordak continues watching the horizon as Adora dozes off on his shoulder. He thinks she’s fallen asleep when he hears Adora’s voice again after a few minutes of silence. It’s a shaky whisper, but it’s there. 

“You’re a really good friend, Hordak. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He’s definitely worried about the shake in her voice as she says this but doesn’t mention it, worried it'll only make her feel embarrassed. Instead, he glances down to see Adora’s red-veined eyes glistening with unshed tears as she forces herself not to cry. 

Hordak wraps an arm around Adora. He places his hand on the side of her arm, pulling her in tighter to show his support. He slides his hand up and down gently to try and make Adora feel better, “I have been looking out for you for the past five centuries, and I will continue to do so. We _are_ friends, aren't we?” He already knows the answer to that last question but asks anyway in the hopes that it might make Adora laugh.

Hordak feels Adora grin on his shoulder more than he can see it, “Hey, I look out for you, too! And yes, we _are_ friends.” 

Before Hordak can say anything, Adora yawns loudly, “As much as I would love to continue this conversation, I’m really tired right now. I’m just gonna take a little nap, okay?.” Her voice trails off slightly at the end as her eyes close again and her breathing slows down. 

It astonishes Hordak how quickly Adora can fall asleep, but he chooses not to question it. Instead, he chuckles and looks back at the horizon.

\----  
**One hour and forty minutes later…**

Adora is woken up by Hordak shaking her shoulder to get her to wake up. She groggily opens her eyes and squints at the still intensely bright sun above them. She lifts her head to look around, then turns back to Hordak.

“What is it?”

Hordak stands up, outstretching a hand for Adora, “We have ten minutes to get back to the meeting spot before Shadow Weaver sends the guards.”

It’s at that moment that Adora remembers why they came to Halfmoon in the first place. She grabs Hordak’s hand and uses it to pull herself up. The two friends quickly make their way back in through the palace. 

Any guards who see them on their walk seem to instantly move out of their way. Adora knows this is because of her less-than-optimal state right now. 

Her eyes are puffy from just waking up and holding in her tears from earlier. That, paired with the red veins coming out of her eyes and the few purple veins peeking out from the top of her hoodie, makes her look very intimidating to anyone who sees her. The fact that she’s still in a terrible mood, which definitely shows on her face, doesn’t do wonders to make her and Hordak seem friendly, either.

At this point, her patience is hanging on by a thread. If anything even remotely goes wrong, all of Adora’s pent up anger from the past ten days will explode out.

They’re almost to the meeting room when the Princess of Halfmoon turns down the hallway Adora and Hordak are in, going the opposite way of them. 

Looks like something’s about to go wrong.

Catra doesn’t seem to notice Hordak, but one of her eyebrows raises at the state of the blonde vampire. 

Catra stops directly in front of Adora. That’s the first mistake she makes.

She crosses her arms as a smirk makes its way onto her tan face, “Woah, what happened to you?”

Adora glares up at the Magicat, but Catra’s only reaction is the twitch of her ear. “Get out of my way, Princess.”

Catra frowns at the nickname, “If anyone’s being a princess right now, it’s you. What makes you think you can order me around like that, huh?” Calling Adora a princess is Catra’s second mistake. 

The blonde’s gaze hardens, “Get out of the way, _please_.” It looks like adding that last word physically strained Adora. Hordak glances nervously between them. He’s about to stop this from progressing any further when Catra speaks up again. 

The Magicat’s smirk only grows, “Maybe if you ask nicely, I will.” Saying that was her third, and final mistake.

Adora practically roars in anger as she grabs Catra by her neck and pushes her into the wall beside them hardly. Any smug superiority that Catra had vanished as she panics at the sudden attack. Hordak’s eyes widen at the motion but he doesn’t move from his spot, knowing better than to interrupt Adora at a time like this.

The vampire tightens her grip, “I said get out of my way, mutt. Or did you not hear me?” Catra gasps for breath slightly. 

Catra’s eyes are wide as they plead with Adora to let her go. She scratches her claws up Adora’s arms, but Adora doesn’t show any signs of a reaction.

Apparently, Adora has had enough of Catra as she pushes her to the side roughly. The Princess lands roughly on her bottom as she coughs hoarsely. Bruises can already be seen blooming on the skin of her neck. The entire time, she continues staring up at Adora with eyes wide in fear. 

Adora sneers at Catra as she turns and walks away angrily. Hordak turns back to Catra with a pitying glance. He extends a hand out towards the Magicat, “I am sorry for my friend’s behaviour, she’s not having a very good day.” Just by his tone, Catra can tell he doesn’t really care about whether or not she’s okay. 

Catra smacks his hand away from her and runs on all fours in the opposite way.

Hordak is shocked by the reaction for a moment, before relaxing his expression and running to catch up to Adora.

Adora is still stomping her way towards the meeting room doors when Hordak finally reaches her. 

Hordak grabs her arm to stop her before they get to Shadow Weaver. Adora whips her head around, anger still in her eyes, and glares at Hordak, “What?”

“You need to calm down, or else Shadow Weaver will know something’s up. I don't think you want her to know you just attacked a princess.” He tries to keep his expression as calm as he can so that Adora can do the same. 

Just like that, the anger burning in Adora’s eyes goes out just as quickly as it came. She nods and drops her head, “You’re right.” 

The two stand there as Adora slows her breathing down to a calmer level. Hordak tries to get her to take deep breaths.

As the adrenaline of the moment passes, immense guilt replaces it. Along with fear.

What if the kingdom of Halfmoon rejects the Horde because of Adora’s actions? What if the Horde loses the only kingdom that supports them in the slightest? What if she seriously hurt Catra? What if Catra hates her now, just like all the other princesses do?

While Adora has killed and hurt thousands upon thousands of people in her centuries of existence, she’s never once hurt a princess. There's too much at stake by doing something that reckless. Adora knows that. 

Or, she usually does...

Adora just choked Catra, the Princess of Halfmoon. 

Halfmoon, the only kingdom to even remotely accept vampires. 

And she just choked their leaders’ daughter.

She _really_ fucked up this time, huh.


	5. no matter how hard she tried

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora makes a friend and takes another nap.
> 
> Catra is bored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This chapter gives some backstory for both Adora and Catra but doesn't really have any plot in it. Sorry! I promise the next one has a plot and other princesses. Also, there is a Hordak-centric chapter somewhere in the future.
> 
> Despite not having much plot, this chapter has everything! Fluff, humour, angst, hurt/comfort, the whole gist! I realized I don't talk a lot about Halfmoon or how Catra grows up a lot in this fic, so I added a lot of information about her in this. I know that big info dumps are generally frowned upon in writing, but I don't really care. So, enjoy my paragraphs of information.
> 
> I think I'm going to start updating every Sunday/Monday, by the way. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this! If you do, you could leave a kudo, a comment, or both! They are so, so appreciated and I love reading everything you have to say. 
> 
> Ok, bye-bye!
> 
> TW: mentions of killing/violence, mentions of bullying

\----  
The guilt of what she just did seeps into her, but she conceals it well. She’s had over five hundred years of practice, after all.

Adora and Hordak continue walking in silence until they reach the tall double doors on the meeting room, which should open right now. The doors remain closed, almost as if they’re taunting the two vampires in front of them. 

Hordak turns to the guard posted in front of the doors, “Isn’t the meeting meant to be over by now?”

The guard turns and, upon seeing an annoyed Adora and Hordak standing in front of him, stands perfectly straight. Despite trying not to show it, the guard is obviously a little afraid. It’s rare that vampires ever come into the castle.

Adora sighs, having seen that scared look far too many times for it to bother her anymore, “Come on, we don’t have all day.” Her red-veined eyes only make the guard more frightened.

The guard stammers, “Uh- The meeting was pro-prolonged for an issue between our kingdoms.”

Both Adora and Hordak groan loudly, annoyed. The guard shrinks down, worried they’re going to kill him for the inconvenience. He’s heard the rumours of how cruel the vampires of the Horde are.

He tries to help, “You-you are welcome to use our recreation room. It is open to all visitors of Halfmoon Palace.” The guard points in the direction that leads to the room. Adora crosses her arms and walks down the hall the guard pointed to. 

Hordak grins at the guard but stops when he remembers that his fangs might freak the guard out more. Instead, Hordak opts to nod formally towards him, “Apologies for my friend. She is having a _bad day_ , to put it lightly.” The vampire almost seems amused at Adora’s behaviour. 

The guard nods stiffly as Hordak follows Adora down the hallway wordlessly. 

\----  
**Adora**

The doors all look the same as she storms down the halls. She wasn’t angry at that guard, but she’s definitely angry at herself right now. _How could she be dumb enough to hurt a princess?_

She hears quick footsteps behind her but doesn’t turn, already knowing who it is. Eventually, Hordak appears behind her with an amused grin on his face. It’s clear that he thinks this whole situation is _funny_. 

Adora glares at him as they walk. Hordak’s grin doesn’t disappear. If anything, it widens at Adora’s embarrassment. 

After a while, they finally find the rec room and open the door. There are a few comfortable couches placed around the room, a pool table, a regular table with some chairs, and paintings on the dark burgundy walls. 

Adora walks in first and immediately sprawls across one of the wider couches dramatically, her legs hanging off the edge. She groans as she covers her face with her hands. 

Hordak laughs and sits down in one of the single couches across from the one Adora’s currently lying on. “I don’t understand why you’re so upset about this, Adora.” 

Adora’s hands on her face muffle her voice, “I hurt a _princess_ , inside her own palace! What if she tells her parents? What if they start a war with the Horde? Oh man, if Shadow Weaver finds out, she’ll _kill_ me. What if Shadow Weaver finds o-” 

Hordak cuts her rant off by laughing loudly and raising a hand to stop her from spiralling any further, “You didn’t hurt her that badly, Adora. She might be a little shaken up, but she’s fine. Besides, I don’t think Shadow Weaver would be that upset. She doesn’t like any of the princesses, and all she told you was to not _kill_ one. You didn’t, so she has nothing to be angry about.”

Adora wants to refute that last part with the fact that Shadow Weaver has gotten angry at her for no reason many times, but she decides not to. In fact, Hordak’s words do actually make her feel a little better about the whole situation. Only a little, though. 

She peeks an eye out from between her fingers, “Was she really fine after I choked her?”

Hordak nods, “Yes. She didn’t even accept my hand to help her up, so she’s probably doing alright.”

Adora sighs in relief and takes off her hands, “Okay, that’s good.” Most of the guilt has disappeared by now, but she can still feel a tiny part of it nagging at her. Adora keeps remembering Catra’s terrified face as she looked up at Adora, bruises blooming on her neck. 

She hasn’t felt this guilty for her actions in years. It’s weird, but… she doesn’t hate it. Feeling guilty is better than not feeling anything at all. 

Adora shudders as she remembers the first couple of decades after Shadow Weaver turned her.

At first, she was terrified to kill anyone and always felt immense guilt at her actions, but that changed quickly as her anger at Shadow Weaver grew more and more each day. She tried not to let her anger get the best of her, but it was no use. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t. Maybe it was because of her vampire nature, or maybe she truly is just a terrible person. She hopes it was the former, but she knows it’s the latter.

She was so furious at having her life ruined and took her rage out on innocent Etherians. She killed anyone in her sight. It was basically a decades-long killing spree. She used her seemingly unlimited amount of anger at Shadow Weaver to kill as many humans as she could. Adora must have killed hundreds upon hundreds in just those years. It's not like she was counting, anyway. It was fun while it lasted, but all of that killing got boring after a while and Adora slowed down over the years. Now, she mostly just kills when she has to or when Shadow Weaver tells her to kill someone specific. 

She used to kill and kill and kill without a care in the world, driven only by the anger burning in her heart. Over the years, that anger went from a roaring fire to a small pile of smouldering ashes. The fire used to warm her frozen and cracked heart. Now that the flame has gone out, though, all she’s left with is a heart that’s charred black and crumbling apart. Now that the anger has simmered down, guilt has replaced it. 

Adora’s glad it has, though. She’d take guilt over anger any day of the week.

She’s brought back to the present by the same guard from before appearing at the door, looking slightly less anxious than before. Hordak and Adora turn towards him, hoping they can finally get out of here.

“The meeting has ended. Horde Prime has requested that Hordak leave with him to handle an issue in the Fright Zone, and Shadow Weaver has requested that Adora stay here and wait for her to finish handling a sorcery issue with the Queen of Halfmoon.” 

Adora groans loudly, and her response is quick, “Well, I request that Shadow Weaver shut the fuck up for once.” She hopes the guard didn't hear that, but he did.

The guard turns towards her, “Shall I tell her you requested that?” He seems genuinely curious, and not like he’s joking with Adora. Hordak laughs as Adora panics, “No! Don’t tell her I said that.”

Hordak stands as the guard leaves and Adora complains while outstretching her arms in Hordak's direction, “No, don’t leave me here. Who am I supposed to talk to now?” Her tone sounds like a child who’s been told they can’t have candy for breakfast.

Hordak grins, relieved to have something to do today, “Oh, come on. Don’t be such a baby. You’ll be fine, and Shadow Weaver probably won’t take that long, anyway.” Adora drops her arms and groans again, quieter.

Before Hordak can leave, a medium-sized cat with mauve skin and a blue mane struts into the room like they own the entire palace. The cat walks up to the couch Adora is lying on and, before Adora can react, the cat jumps onto her stomach as the blonde lies there in surprise. This must be the cat’s usual napping spot because they did not even hesitate to walk directly towards Adora and nap on top of her. 

Hordak chuckles at the feline, “See? You can talk to the cat.” Without another word, Hordak leaves out the door. 

Adora peeks down at the cat and notices they’re not asleep yet, just staring back at her with their vibrant blue eyes. It almost looks like they’re looking for something on Adora’s face as they stare blankly. Their eyes remind Adora of her own eyes from when she was still human. She notices a tag on the cat’s neck and, upon inspection, figures out the cat’s name. 

She grins sleepily, still feeling tired, “Hello, Melog. That’s a very nice name. How are you today, Melog?” She pets their ear and they purr loudly. Adora knows she looks insane talking to this cat, but she’s sleepy and just a little delirious from having an inadequate amount of blood in the past ten days. The dull vibration coming from Melog’s purring definitely isn’t helping her stay awake right now.

Melog meows loudly, annoyed despite Adora’s petting. The blonde knows that if this cat could speak, they definitely wouldn’t be responding to her question. If she had to guess, Melog would probably say something like, “Shut up and go to sleep already.”

Adora’s grin widens as she watches Melog sleepily close their eyes and fall into a quick slumber. She listens to their advice and closes her eyes with her hand still on the cat’s head. Almost instantly, she falls asleep with them. 

This cat must have some healing properties or something because Adora hasn’t fallen asleep that quickly and calmly in centuries. Whatever the reason, the blonde vampire is grateful for the relaxing slumber.

\----  
**Catra**

She looks in the mirror again, inspecting the bruises on her neck for what feels like the millionth time. 

Since she didn’t ice them, the bruises have only gotten darker and more prominent. Catra sighs as she grabs a tight high-neck two-toned maroon shirt with no sleeves and puts it on. It’s not cold outside, and she won’t leave the castle today, so she should be fine without the warmth of sleeves. At least it covers the bruising. 

Catra leaves her bedroom and strolls around the castle with no real purpose. She has nothing planned for today, so she can spend it however she wants. Catra knows that Adora and her mentor are still here, so she tries to think of something to do that doesn’t involve seeing either of them. 

The best idea she can come up with is hanging out with her telepathic, magical cat named Melog. They’re an extremely rare kind of cat that Catra was lucky enough to find one day while walking in the Whispering Woods as a kid. The second that Catra met Melog, the two formed a powerful bond and have been inseparable ever since.

Their kind is so rare, in fact, that Melog is the last of their kind. There used to be hundreds of their kind scattered all over Etheria, but the people of an old kingdom called “Horde Legion” hunted them all down until Melog was the last one standing.

The mauve-coloured cat has many magical abilities. They can read the emotions of others, turn invisible, change the colour of their mane based on Catra’s emotions and their own, speak to Catra through their special bond, and they can also shape-shift. They also share a strong connection with the Magicat princess, which connects them emotionally and allows them to communicate telepathically. Catra likes that she has someone that can relate to her about magic. 

Every Princess has magic, and that includes Catra. While she doesn’t have a runestone, she still has a magical ability just like the rest of the princesses and princes of Etheria. Catra’s magical ability is the power of shape-shifting, like Melog. Unlike Double Trouble, Catra always keeps one of her features when she shape-shifts. No matter what she shape-shifts into, Catra always keeps her teal and yellow mismatched eyes. Her mother has the same magical ability as her.

Shapeshifters aren’t exclusive to the Halfmoon royal family, as shown by Double Trouble. While there are other shapeshifters on Etheria, none of them have the cat-like features of Catra and Cyra of Halfmoon that can be incredibly useful in fights. Not that Catra can ever use her abilities, since her mom doesn’t allow her to train, and only lets her leave the palace for parties and events. 

Catra doesn’t talk to the other princesses, or anyone, often. Sure, she hangs out with Scorpia and Entrapta frequently, but that’s about it. Either the princesses don’t know Catra exists because of how little she leaves her kingdom, or they don’t talk to her unless it’s a short small-talk at events. 

She’s tried talking to them, but she’s never been very good at talking to people. Having grown up homeschooled and only having a telepathic cat and her parents for company, Catra never developed the social skills that the other princesses have. 

She went to actual school at first, a really nice one in Brightmoon, but all the other kids made fun of her for her fluffy ears and tail. She tried to make friends, but it was no use. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t. All they saw was a weird cat girl with a stupid power. Once Queen Cyra and King Milo saw their daughter come home crying from school every day, they kept her in the palace for school.

Catra’s sure that they all hate her, thinking she’s weak because of her useless magic. Or maybe they just think she’s weird and don’t want to talk to some half-animal freak. Whatever the reason, Catra’s stopped trying to be friends with them, knowing how much they would hate someone like her. A freak with a useless magical ability like her. 

Catra’s pretty good at shape-shifting into anything she wants, but she usually only shape-shifts into a regular cat to play with Melog and run down the halls. 

She decides not to shift as she walks down the halls. 

What she does decide to do is use her telepathic connection to Melog to see where they are. Catra stops and closes her eyes. She can feel that Melog is relaxed and content, which usually means they’re napping in a peaceful spot. She sighs, already knowing which spot they’re in. Melog has this specific spot on one couch in the rec room that they love napping in.

Catra makes her way towards the recreation room, which she’s already pretty close to. 

She abruptly stops at the opened door of the room. Melog is in their spot, but there is a specific person in that spot with them. A specific person who hurt her just an hour ago.

The person who choked Catra and threw her to the ground…

… is now having a cat nap with Melog. 

Catra slowly walks into the room, tiptoeing. She stands in front of the couch, watching the two of them sleep peacefully. Catra almost feels bad for disturbing Melog right now. Almost.

Instead of speaking, she yells at Melog through their telepathic connection. The cat jumps slightly at the yelling. They peek one blue eye open to stare at Catra. The brunette grabs Melog and pulls them up toward her gently. 

Melog pushes away from Catra to not get pulled away, which just means they’re pushing down on Adora’s abdomen. Catra could feel how comfortable they were sleeping on Adora’s stomach, and they can feel their annoyance at being pulled away now. 

Adora voices her annoyance at having the cat pulled off her, too. She groans quietly in her sleep and wraps her arms around the cat. Melog purrs as they nestle into the arms wrapped around them. Adora smiles slightly at the sound of the purring. 

Just before Melog goes back to sleep, they tell Catra one thing, “The vampire feels immense guilt for her actions towards you.”

Catra lets go and pulls back to stand up straight again. Adora feels guilty for hurting her? Adora, the same person who’s killed hundreds of thousands of innocent humans, feels guilty for hurting Catra? Maybe she overestimated how evil this woman really is… 

Catra looks down at Adora. Now that she looks again, Adora does look really cute as she hugs Melog in her sleep. She can’t help but smile at the sleeping blonde in front of her. 

There is absolutely no way Catra could be afraid of Adora after seeing her nap while hugging a cat, not that she really was before. Sure, at the moment she was freaking out, but she relaxed after the adrenaline of the moment passed. She mostly feels annoyed at being forced to cover her neck now. She may not like Adora at all, but maybe she can tolerate her. 

The extremely faint sound of tapping heels making their way down the hall towards the rec room door cut off Catra’s thoughts. The brunette panics and runs out the door and down the hallway before they can see her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify a few things:
> 
> 1\. Catra was a kid when she found Melog in the Whispering Woods, but she was only in the woods in the first place because she ran away from her parents while they were at a carnival near the forest. They found her eventually and took her back home along with Melog.
> 
> 2\. The other princesses don't actually hate Catra. They don't think she's a freak, and they don't think she's weak. They just never get the chance to talk to her, and if they do Catra always looks really anxious so they think that Catra doesn't want to talk to them. 
> 
> 3\. There were two kingdoms that fell long before any of the princesses now were born. They were Horde Legion and Eternia. Horde Prime is from Horde Legion (that's not his real name), and Adora is from Eternia. There was a huge war between the two kingdoms, and nobody won because they both killed everyone in the other kingdom. Etherians now call the Eternians "First Ones". They don't have a name for the Hordians because the Eternians wiped out any information about them.
> 
> 4\. Hordak is a result of an experiment gone wrong. He doesn't come from a kingdom because he came from a lab. Everyone in the kingdom of Horde Legion looked identical (imagine a lot of Horde Primes, but they all have different styles). After everyone in that kingdom was wiped out, Horde Prime wanted to replicate them all with clones. The experiment failed, and the only two results to survive were Hordak and Imp (DT didn't mention Imp bc they didn't know they exist).
> 
> Ok, that's it! I hope you read through that all and like it, I know it's a lot.


	6. nostalgic for the anger I once had

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora visits Brightmoon.
> 
> She meets new people. They all like her, except for one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! Look, the other princesses are finally in a chapter! I promise they'll show up more often as of now :)
> 
> I want to add that, while Adora and Hordak will 100% get redemption arcs, it will not be easy. I won't just brush off five hundred years of death and torment just for the sake of giving you guys more catradora content. There will be ups and downs, and it won't always be easy, but they'll get there eventually. 
> 
> Also!! I made another AU!! It's called [i'll never be sorry enough, but you look so beautiful](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28889577/chapters/70872996) and it's a Catradora chronic pain college AU. Wow, that's a mouthful, huh.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! If you do, I always appreciate a kudo, a comment, or both! Reading all of your comments makes me unbelievably happy and I can't be more grateful for your support :)
> 
> Ok, bye-bye!
> 
> TW: panic attack, mentions of violence, mentions of death

\----  
**Adora**

Today, there’s another meeting that Shadow Weaver has to attend, meaning Adora must go with her. Except, this time, Hordak doesn’t come with her. It’s just her and Shadow Weaver. In Brightmoon.

The two women walk down the brightly coloured halls of the palace, looking for the meeting room. Unlike in Halfmoon, the room is much more difficult to find here. 

Adora groans after they walk down another wrong hallway, “This taking _forever_! The meeting’s going to be over by the time we get there.” 

Shadow Weaver doesn’t even glance over as they continue walking, “Don’t be so dramatic, Adora. We’ve only been looking for a few minutes.”

As they turn a corner into a new hall, they see two people walking in their direction. A short girl with fluffy purple-pink hair and a taller, dark-skinned boy wearing a cropped shirt that exposes part of his midriff. It’s obvious they’re close from their loud laughter as they walk down the hall. A stark contrast compared to Adora and Shadow Weaver, who don’t speak or show any emotions as they walk side-by-side. 

Shadow Weaver stops walking, “Go ask the princess of Brightmoon for directions.”

Adora stops just a little further in front of her, “No, you ask her. Your meeting, your problem."

The masked woman is about to argue further when the short glittery princess and taller boy interrupt. The short girl speaks first, “Are you lost?” Her tone is friendly, but it gets on Adora's nerves already.

Adora and Shadow Weaver turn to look at each other, having an entire argument with only glares. Adora somehow loses the wordless argument and turns back to the purple-haired girl.

She puts a sickly sweet smile on her face, which looks more like a sneer, “Could you point us in the meeting room's direction, Princess Glitter?” 

The princess huffs angrily and Shadow Weaver sighs as Adora looks around, confused. “What? What did I say?”

Glitter crosses her arms, “My name isn’t Glitter!” 

Adora tries to remember her name, “Shimmer?”

“No.”

“Sparkles?”

“No!” She seems especially angry at that one, for some odd reason.

Adora groans as she turns to Shadow Weaver, “What’s her name?”

“Princess _Glimmer_ of Brightmoon.” Shadow Weaver looks like she’s seconds away from killing Adora right now. 

Adora laughs as she turns back to Glimmer, “Oh, come on, I was pretty close with Glitter.”

Glimmer glares at Adora as she turns to Shadow Weaver, “Come on, I’ll take you to the meeting room.” She abruptly turns and walks down the hall. Shadow Weaver follows.

Adora watches them leave with a grin, “Should I come, too?”

The response is immediate from the both of them, “NO!” Adora laughs as they turn down a different hallway.

Adora hears Bow attempt to stifle his laugh at the interaction. She turns towards him with an outstretched arm, “I’m Adora. It’s nice to meet you.”

Bow’s smile disappears as he looks anywhere but Adora, replaced by a conflicted frown. “I-I don’t know if I should talk to you.”

Adora frowns at that, “Why? Because Princess Shimmer told you not to?”

His silence is answer enough, and Adora sighs. She knew the princesses hated her, but she didn’t think they’d actually force other people not to talk to her. 

Eventually, Bow actually answers, but it’s a quiet murmur, “That, and because you might… kill… me?” He moves backwards slightly, worried he’ll anger Adora.

Adora groans internally at that. She wouldn’t kill someone unless she had a reason to. It’s been decades since she’s killed anyone for no reason. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t just kill you out in the open like this, anyway.” Her grin turns only a little sadistic.

Bow’s eyes widen, and he makes a noise that Adora can only describe as a terrified whimper.

Before Bow can run away screaming, Adora bursts into laughter. Bow’s fear quickly turns into confusion. 

Adora wipes the tears of mirth from her eyes, “I’m kidding. I don’t kill mortals unless I have a reason to. I don’t have any reason to kill anyone today, so you’re fine.”

Bow sighs in relief, “Okay, that’s a relief. Well, my name is Bow. I’m the Master Archer of Brightmoon.” He points a thumb back towards the bow and arrows strapped to his back.

“Oh! You know, I’m pretty good at using a bow and arrow, too. One of the best archers of my time taught me everything they knew.”

Bow raises a brow at that, “And when was _‘your time’_? Five hundred years ago?” Adora laughs loudly at that. 

Once Adora’s laughter dies down, Bow smiles, “You’re not what I expected from someone in the Horde.”

“Oh? What were you expecting, an _emotionless bloodthirsty killer_?”

“Well, yeah. I never realized that vampires are still… people, to some extent.”

Adora sighs, “Yeah, many people don’t.”

Most humans read about vampires from inaccurate horror books and assume every vampire is like what they read. Emotionless, cruel, incapable of love or kindness or any human emotions. Sure, Adora might not be the best person on Etheria, but she’s still capable of having emotions. She still has feelings, even if she wishes she didn’t sometimes. 

A heavy silence falls over the two. Adora looks down at the floor, remembering all the times humans have attacked her unprovoked just because they thought she was a monster or a freak. Adora already knows she’s both those things, she doesn’t need Etherians yelling it at her with their pitchforks and torches.

Bow smiles at Adora, seeing her in a new light. He shoves her shoulder to get her out of her own head. It works as Adora lifts her head up quickly. “Some other princesses are coming to Brightmoon to hang out. Wanna join us?”

Adora fidgets with her fingers, anxious, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. They all hate me and we both know it.” She really doesn’t want a repeat of what happened with Catra. 

“Okay, Glimmer might not like you very much, but you’ve never even met the other princesses. Glimmer’s going to be busy at that meeting anyway, so it’ll just be me and the others. Maybe they’ll like you!” 

Adora smiles weakly. She’s not used to Bow’s optimistic words. Not many people in the Horde are optimistic people.

“Is-Is Catra going to be there?”

Confused, Bow raises a brow, “Catra? You mean the Princess of Halfmoon?”

Adora nods.

He shakes his head, “No, she’s not. Catra doesn’t really enjoy talking to the other princesses.”

Oh. Well, in that case… 

The vampire sighs nervously, “Okay, I’ll go.”

Bow jumps up and down while clapping his hands excitedly, “This is going to be so fun!” He opens his arms to pull Adora into a hug but hesitates at the last second. Adora’s eyes widen. She hasn’t gotten a genuine hug since… her mom. Hesitantly, she opens her arms out slightly. Bow smiles brightly at the opportunity and pulls Adora into her first hug in over 500 years. 

Adora laughs as she hugs Bow back with the same strength. She can’t help the single tear that slides down her face. When was the last time a human showed her any kindness? Probably when she was a human, too.

Eventually, Bow pulls away. His smile quickly vanishes when he sees the tear and hears Adora sniffle. “What’s wrong? Oh, did I say something wrong? I’m so-”

Adora cuts him off with a raised hand as she wipes her face, “I’m sorry, I just haven’t gotten a hug in the last few centuries.”

Bow's jaw gapes open as he gets the saddest look in his eyes, “You haven’t gotten a hug in hundreds of years?” He seems so shocked by this as he practically tears up with Adora.

The blonde laughs quietly, “Yeah… I don’t know why I’m crying, I’m sorry.”

She’s pulled into another hug by the brunette, tighter than the first one, “You don’t have to apologize. I wish the world was kinder to you.”

Adora smiles sadly as she leans her head on his shoulder, “Me too.”

With a pat on her back, Bow pulls away with a sweet smile. He glances over at a nearby clock and gasps, “Oh! The princesses are probably here by now! Are you ready to meet them?”

At that, Adora grimaces. Not being deterred in the slightest, Bow grabs Adora’s hand and pulls her down the halls to a large door. Adora takes a deep breath before Bow opens the door. 

There are five people lounging on the couches in the room, which Adora assumes to be Brightmoon’s recreation room. Everyone in the room stops their conversations to look over at the door. They all smile at the sight of Bow and greet him before turning their focus onto Adora.

There’s a dark-skinned girl with blue hair, a man with a mustache and a black bandana on his head, a blonde with a flower crown in her hair, a younger girl with a blue bob, and a girl with long purple hair put into pigtails who Adora recognizes as Entrapta. Adora sighs in relief at not seeing Catra, but can’t help but feel a little… disappointed? It's for the best, though. The last thing she wants is to hurt Catra more.

Entrapta seems to recognize Adora immediately as she smiles and waves, “Oh, hi Adora. I didn’t know you’d be here.” She turns to mumble something into her recorder as everyone else in the room gawks.

Eventually, the blue-haired girl narrows her eyes, “Wait… _Adora_? Are you with the Horde?”

Adora already regrets agreeing to come here, “Uh… yes?” Everyone in the room, except Entrapta, gasps at this. The younger blue-haired girl is next to speak, “So… Are you here to kill us?”

Despite this definitely not being the best situation to laugh in, Adora does anyway. When nobody else laughs, Adora coughs awkwardly and stands up straighter, “No, I won’t kill any of you. There’s some meeting going on today and I had to come here. I was planning on wandering the halls until the meeting ended, but then I met Bow and he told me I could come here instead.”

Most of them seem hesitant to talk to a vampire, especially one from the Horde. Well, except for Entrapta... and the long-haired blonde. 

The tall woman stands up and walks over to stand in front of Adora with a warm smile on her face, “I’m Perfuma, the princess of Plumeria.” Before Adora can react, Perfuma pulls Adora into a light hug. 

Once she pulls away, a small red flower that matches Adora’s eyes appears tucked behind her ear. Adora smiles and blushes slightly. She really isn’t used to affection, even if it’s only a friendly hug and a little flower.

She can almost feel everyone glance over at her fangs, but they don’t mention it. Instead, Perfuma pulls Adora to sit down beside her on the couch she just got off of. 

Adora sits down cautiously as she looks around at the others. They’re all still staring at her, but their gazes have softened a bit. Bow has taken a seat on one couch beside the one Adora’s on. Adora puts her hands in her lap and sits as straight as she can.

The blue-haired girl is the next to speak, “Geez, do you even know how to relax?” Adora sighs and relaxes her posture a little. The girl speaks again, “My name’s Mermista, by the way. I’m the princess of Salineas.”

Adora nods and outstretches a hand towards Mermista, “Hello. My name is Adora.”

Mermista smirks as she shakes Adora’s hand, “I already knew that, but okay.” 

The moustached man speaks next, “And my name is Sea Hawk. I am the greatest sailor in all of Salineas! Maybe even all of Etheria…” Beside him, Mermista groans and runs a hand down her face.

Adora laughs quietly as she reaches a hand out towards him, “Hi, Sea Hawk.” It’s an unusual name, but she doesn’t comment on it. She lives with someone named _Shadow Weaver_ , after all. Who is she to judge?

Last but not least for introductions is the younger girl with short blue hair, “My name is Frosta. I’m the princess of the Kingdom of Snows.”

Adora grins at her, “Hello, Frosta. It’s nice to meet you.”

After that, the group falls into light conversation. Mostly, they’re asking Adora questions about what it’s like in the Horde, and they are all telling her stories of what it’s like to live outside of the Horde, with both parties being surprised by the answers they receive.

After a few hours of talking, Frosta speaks up, “I-um- have a question.” She mumbles this slightly, as if she’s nervous to ask.

Adora sits up so she can hear Frosta better, “I’m all ears, Frosta.”

“What happened to your arms? And-and that sword that you bring everywhere with you? It’s just- I noticed them once at a party you attended a few months ago.” It’s at that moment that Adora’s glad she wore a long-sleeved high-neck shirt today.

Everyone turns to Adora expectantly, as if they’ve all been waiting to hear the answer to this long-awaited question for months.

Adora pulls out her sword from her side where she always keeps it and sets it down in her lap. 

Half of the gemstone at the hilt is its original light blue and the other half is such a dark purple it looks black. Adora places a gentle hand on the corrupted gemstone. The group peers down at the gem questioningly.

“Well, as you probably know, either you’re born a vampire or you’re turned into one by dying and being brought back,” she begins. They all know where this is going and immediately feel guilty for asking. Adora keeps going, “Well, I wasn’t born a vampire. I actually used to be a vampire hunter when I was human. One day, when my family and I were responding to a vampire reporting, Shadow Weaver killed me using dark magic. It spread all over my body and went into my sword. This sword was a family heirloom and actually used to have some magic in it, but it was all corrupted with dark magic by the time I died.”

Mermista asks what they’re all wondering, after a few moments of silence, “What… What happened to your family?”

Adora doesn’t need to say what happened for them to know, but she does anyway, “They, um- Shadow Weaver killed my dad and brother with my sword, and wiped my mom’s memory completely. She was basically a stranger to me after that.” Adora’s not crying, but she’s still sad as she remembers how much she loved her family. It might have been centuries ago, but they were her _family_.

Adora doesn’t know why she’s telling them all of this. Maybe it’s because they’re the first people to ask about her past. Maybe it’s because they’re the first friends she’s made since she became friends with Hordak hundreds of years ago. 

Despite having only met Adora a few hours ago, they’re all tearing up a little at hearing her backstory. Other than Frosta, they all have loving families and couldn’t possibly imagine watching them die in front of their own eyes and then being killed, too, and Frosta can also relate to losing her family.

Huh. Maybe these people could actually be Adora’s friends… 

They’re about to console her when the door to the rec room opens to reveal none other than Glimmer.

The purple-haired girl seems relieved now that the meeting’s over, but all that happiness quickly disappears as soon as she spots Adora sitting with her friends. She crosses her arms.

She turns to Bow, “What is she doing here? I thought I told you not to talk to her, and I definitely didn’t tell you to bring her to our friends. She’s dangerous!”

Bow tries to defend himself, and Adora, “Come on, Glimmer. She won’t hurt us. She just wanted someone to talk to while she waited for the meeting to end.” The other nod in agreement. Adora’s face reddens slightly as she looks down. She’s never had people defend her like this before. It’s… nice.

Glimmer takes a few steps forward so that she’s standing in front of her friends. “You guys are kidding, right?” She points a finger towards Adora, “She’s a _monster_! She’s just pretending to be your friend so that she can hurt you all later. Do you really think someone like _her_ could be our friend?”

The words shouldn’t bother Adora as much as they do, she’s heard them for years. It doesn’t make them hurt any less, though. She shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up. She shouldn’t have come in here at all. It was stupid of her to believe that any humans could see her as anything other than repulsive. 

It’s at times like these that Adora misses her anger. She used to have an endless supply of the stuff pouring out of her. Sure, it pushed people away, but at least she was safe. At least she didn’t get her hopes up only to have it crushed at her feet, along with her happiness. 

Now, though, all she feels is guilt. And loneliness. 

She lifts her head to look at Glimmer, hoping the shine of tears in her eyes isn’t visible. “I’m sorry, Glimmer. I’ll leave, okay?”

The rest of the people sitting down look guilty as Adora stands up and makes her way to the door. Right before her foot can step out of the door, Adora hears Glimmer’s voice again. 

“You know, you’re just like Shadow Weaver.”

Everyone except Adora and Glimmer gasp at that, knowing the inaccuracy of that statement.

Adora feels her anger burnt hot at the girl’s words. She whips around to face her, “What the fuck did you just say, Glitter?”

Glimmer huffs angrily as Adora appears in front of her, but some of her anger turns into fear when she notices Adora’s sharp fangs that could easily pierce into her skin and drain the life out of her.

She puts on a mask of false bravado, “I _said_ that you’re just like Shadow Weaver. You’re just as evil as her, if not worse.”

“I’m nothing like Shadow Weaver! And you know NOTHING about me!” Adora’s anger only grows the more she looks at Glimmer. 

“Oh, really? Well, I know how you’ve killed thousands upon thousands of innocent Etherians. That’s more than Shadow Weaver and Horde Prime COMBINED. How can you say you’re better than them when you’ve killed more than them?”

Just like that, all of Adora’s anger disappears into thin air because…

“... You’re right.” 

Her voice is a hushed whisper, as if she can’t believe it. Judging by Glimmer’s face, she can’t believe Adora’s agreeing with her, either. “What?”

Every shred of guilt Adora’s been hiding deep inside comes crawling out until she’s drowning in it. Every innocent person she killed. Every life she’s ruined. Every drop of innocent blood that's fallen because of her.

She feels the combined guilt of over five hundred years hit her like a truck, with Glimmer in the driver’s seat.

“Yo-You’re right. I’m a _terrible_ person.” 

The shock quickly turns into fear. 

Fear that she’s truly a horrible, irredeemable person. Fear that she’s _exactly_ like Shadow Weaver. Fear that she broke the promise she made to her mother all those years ago to be good.

It’s then that Adora realizes that she’s not breathing. And that there are tears pouring out of her eyes and down her face. Her vision is tunnelling, and she can hardly see in front of her. All she can see right now is Glimmer’s panicked face. 

Faintly, Adora can hear a few people speaking to her, telling her to breathe, but she can’t hear them. Everything feels muffled and far away, though. Distant, almost like it’s not there at all.

Through the raging storm of her thoughts, Adora only knows one thing. She has to do something about this. She has to talk to Hordak, now. 

While still struggling to breathe, Adora takes a step towards Glimmer and tightly places her hands on her shoulders, “Take me to Horde Prime’s manor.”

Glimmer’s face morphs quickly from fear, to shock, then to confusion, “What? But-but Shadow Weaver is waiting for you, and there’s a rainstorm outside right now.”

Adora quickly glances outside to see the rain aggressively slamming against the window. How did she not notice that before?

Adora’s hands tighten, and Glimmer grimaces in pain, “I DON’T CARE! Take me there, NOW!”

Some small part of Adora’s brain knows she should relax and breathe, but she can’t find the strength to. Thankfully, Glimmer finally listens to her request, anyway, even though it was more of an angry demand. 

Magic surrounds the two women as Glimmer teleports them outside of Horde Prime’s large and creepy-looking manor. It’s dark outside as the rain pours down angrily onto the path leading to the dark front door. The moons shines brightly above them.

Glimmer gives Adora one last nervous look before she teleports away. Adora stands in front of the Horde Lord’s manor, alone, in the night's dark, and soaking wet with rainwater.

Adora rushes up to the front door with enough determination to level the entire Fright Zone. 

She knocks hardly against the wooden door until someone opens it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the cliffhanger :( but not really though lol.
> 
> Don't worry, Glimmer and Adora will reconcile soon. 
> 
> To make up for this rollercoaster of a chapter, I'll post the next chapter REALLY soon, okay? Probably sometime this weekend :)
> 
> Chapter title credit: Takuboku Ishikawa, tr. by Tamae K. Prindle, from The Selected Poems; “A Love Song to Myself


	7. i thought there were no heroes left in this world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora convinces.
> 
> Hordak plans.
> 
> Maybe things will work out, after all...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay!! Early chapter time!! They're planning this chapter!
> 
> This chapter is mostly Adora and Hordak talking, but it's also pretty Hordak-centric for this chapter. I know I've made Shadow Weaver seem like a terrible person in this (and she is) and Horde Prime as this regular guy, but don't be fooled by his false kindness. That guy is cruel and manipulative, just like his Second-in-Command. 
> 
> I don't know if I've made it clear by now, but Horde Prime is the Horde Lord and SW is the Second-in-Command. Adora and Hordak go to events because they're basically the wards of SW and HP respectively. 
> 
> Oh, and by the way, vampires CAN die in this fic, but they always come back. So you could snap their neck and they would collapse for a few minutes, but they'd get back up soon. There are only a small handful of ways to kill a vampire: stake/Adora's sword to the heart, cutting off their head, and others but it would technically be spoiling if I told you them so I won't.
> 
> Also, here are the number of kills each Horde rep has:  
> Adora: ~10,000  
> Hordak: ~5,000  
> Shadow Weaver: ~500  
> Horde Prime: ~1,000  
> (They're all approximate since they don't keep count over the years.)
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter! If you do, you could leave a kudo, comment, or maybe both! I love reading all of the comments and responding to them all, and I can't wait for you guys to see where this story leads. It might be a little different than you expected ;)
> 
> Ok, bye-bye!

\----  
**Adora**

She doesn’t stop knocking until the door finally swings open to reveal none other than Horde Prime himself.

The tall man opens the door with his signature creepy smile, which quickly turned into amused bewilderment as he takes in the state of Adora.

Despite not having run to the door, Adora is breathing heavily as the rainwater that’s soaked into her hair, her clothes, her shoes, drips onto the small patio. She has a panicked look in her eye as she scans the inside of the house instead of looking at Horde Prime. 

Horde Prime speaks in his usual calm voice, but it only annoys Adora, “Hello, Adora. It’s a surprise to see you here at this hour. Is Shadow We-”

Adora cuts him off, “Can I speak to Hordak?” If Adora could, she would have just stormed past Horde Prime and gone directly downstairs into Hordak’s sanctum, but Horde Prime hasn’t let Adora in yet. Turns out, that’s not just a rumour humans made up.

Horde Prime looks surprised at being talked over. Few people do that and live to tell the tale, but Adora’s feeling reckless today. “Of course.” His voice has venom in it that it didn't previously have.

He turns his head back to yell downstairs, “Hordak! Adora is here to see you, and she appears to be having some sort of…” He turns back to look Adora up and down with a raised brow, “mental breakdown.”

Adora ignores his last statement. She has bigger problems than what Horde Prime thinks of her. The man’s voice is far too quiet and relaxed for Adora’s taste, so she makes sure that Hordak knows the urgency of the situation. She yells as loudly as she can from her spot, and it only sounds a little shaky, “HORDAK! GET YOUR ASS UP HERE NOW!”

Horde Prime turns back to Adora, amused at seeing her crumble apart before his very eyes. He’s only ever seen the obedient little protégé of Shadow Weaver that Adora pretends to be at parties. Faintly, Adora can hear Hordak going up the stairs at a much faster pace than before. Once he makes it upstairs and finally gets a look at Adora, his eyes widen. He hides his surprised expression before Horde Prime can see it.

He stops a few steps behind Horde Prime, watching Adora anxiously, as if she could somehow get past the barrier on the door. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Brightmoon right now for that meeting?”

Adora is acutely aware of how they are both staring at her like she’s gone crazy. She feels like she’s gone crazy, and she probably looks like she has, too. “The meeting ended. I need to talk to you right now.” She makes sure her tone is urgent, so he knows that this isn’t some elaborate joke. 

“Can it wait for tomorrow?”

“No.”

Both Adora and Hordak look up at Horde Prime, silently asking him to let Adora in. Eventually, the taller man sighs, “Come in, Ador-”

Horde Prime doesn’t even have time to finish before Adora quickly shoves past him with a huff, “Out of the way, old man!” Immediately, Adora grabs Hordak’s wrist and basically drags him downstairs to his lab. 

As Adora walks away, she knows that Horde Prime is getting annoyed with her attitude, and it shows in his words, “I could have you killed for speaking to your Lord that way!”

The problem is, she really couldn’t give a flying fuck, “You should.”

\----  
**Hordak**

Today was meant to be a regular day. 

A nice day.

A day where, oh, I don’t know, maybe Hordak could have some peace and quiet. 

But, alas…

The universe has cursed him with an idiot for a friend.

Once he hears the words ‘Adora’ and ‘mental breakdown’ come from Horde Prime, he’s rushing upstairs. He only goes faster once he hears Adora’s furious-sounding and shaky voice echo out from the unnecessarily large house he lives in.

Hordak never understood why Horde Prime kept him, even after the experiment failed. He’s a failure, a mistake, a defect. Why would this man keep him in his own home, of all places? Is it out of pity? 

As much as he pretends not to know the answer to that question, he does. Hordak knows that Horde Prime just keeps him around because he enjoys having someone to order around. Someone to control like a puppet. That’s all Hordak is to him. That’s all he’s good for. Just a mindless servant that’s incapable of having basic emotions. 

Well, that might be because that’s all Hordak pretends to be around him. He never goes against his word, shows no emotions, does nothing to make Horde Prime want to throw him out like garbage.

Hordak’s brought back to the present by Adora pulling him through the door into his sanctum. Adora’s so caught up in her panic, she doesn’t even notice Imp frantically flying off of some table once the door flies open and up onto a vent above them.

Adora finally lets go of his wrist and whirls around to look at him, panic growing by the second. 

“What happened, Adora?” His voice is patient and kind, not wanting to scare Adora away.

Adora paces in a loop around the messy lab which Hordak’s never gotten around to cleaning. “I went to Brightmoon for the meeting, and I ran into some princess, and her friend and then I met the other princesses, and it was really fun and we were having a great time but then the glittery princess came back and was all angry and she was calling me a monster and I tried to deny it but-but- she wa-” Her voice gets shaky near the end as the panic rises more and threatens to overwhelm her.

Hordak cuts Adora’s rambling off by grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her down into a chair beside her. He keeps his hands on her shoulders as he speaks, “Adora, you need to relax, okay? I can’t understand a word you’re saying. Take a deep breath and try again, but slower this time.” 

He leads Adora through a deep breath, which works well in calming her down. Once he’s sure she won’t go off into another nervous ramble, he lets go and sits down in a chair across from Adora.

Hordak asks again, “What happened at Brightmoon?”

Adora takes another deep breath before she says the last thing Hodak was expecting from her, “We have to stop killing humans.”

His eyes widened, “... What?”

Adora explains, “We have to stop killing humans. We’re just like them if we do.”

Okay, Adora has officially lost her mind, “Who’s _them_?”

“Shadow Weaver and Horde Prime.”

Somehow, Hordak’s eyes widened even further. 

No.

He’s nothing like Horde Prime.

Horde Prime did make him, though… 

But he’s… better than him, right?

Right?

Hordak’s throat suddenly becomes dry but he continues, “N-No, you’re wrong. You’re nothing like Shadow Weaver, and I’m nothing like Horde Prime!”

Adora looks as disgusted by the idea of being like her sire as Hordak is of being like his. Despite that, she continues with her unbelievable theory.

“Think about it. How are we any better than them? We’ve killed thousands more people than both of them combined. We’re worse than them if we keep this up.”

Hordak tries to refute the statement but, deep down, he knows it’s true. “We’re… better than them, aren’t we?” His voice has gone down from almost yelling to a shaky whisper.

Adora’s has, too. “No, we’re not.”

Hordak drops his head down to look at the dark metallic flooring. A heavy silence falls over the two friends as Hordak takes in this information.

Is Hordak that bad?

Is he just as bad as Horde Prime?

Is Adora just as bad as Shadow Weaver?

This entire time, they thought they were better somehow... 

So far, it seems like he’s taken it far better than Adora did. At least he’s not crying, right? That’s probably a good thing.

Eventually, he has a question. He looks back up cautiously, “What do we do now?” It’s a big question that Hordak doesn’t think Adora will have an answer to, but she does. 

“Simple, we won’t kill any humans starting from now.” Hordak wishes it were that simple. There’s one issue with that plan that Adora isn’t considering, though.

“What are we going to do when we’re hungry?”

At that, Adora actually pauses. She has a curious look on her face, “Do you think we could drink animal blood instead?”

Hordak scoffs, “What, are you _trying_ to kill yourself? Horde Prime said that animal blood is poisonous for vampires.”

The curious look doesn’t fade. If anything, it grows stronger. “What if Horde Prime was lying?”

Huh. Well, that is definitely very possible. 

“So how are we going to find out if he was? By hoping for sheer luck and not a painful death?”

Adora pauses before it appears as if a lightbulb goes off in her head, “We can ask Entrapta to experiment on some animal blood. You know how much she loves experiments.” 

Hordak sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. That is actually a pretty good idea, even if it involves him and Adora getting experimented on by the girl he lo-

This is how the two of them have come up with most of their plans for the past few centuries. Adora will suggest a risky and not-thought-out plan, Hordak will tell her everything that could go wrong, then Adora will change the plan to make sure it’s safe. This method of planning has probably saved Adora from a countless number of deaths. Hordak is just relieved that Adora hasn’t gotten herself into any real, dangerous trouble in a while.

He thinks of another issue, “What if Shadow Weaver asks you to kill someone? What are you going to do then?” It's common for the sorceress to ask Adora to randomly kill humans, whether it's so Adora can collect their blood in blood bags and bring it back to Shadow Weaver or so Adora can collect their organs for spells.

Adora struggles with an answer for that one. She clearly didn’t think of that. “Uhh… Not kill them, I guess?” Her tone is hesitant, as if she’s asking Hordak instead of telling him.

Hordak uses the hand that was previously pinching his nose to drag it down his face with a groan, “She’ll kill you, Adora! Or she’d lock you up. Either way, you won’t be able to be a good person if that happens.”

Adora grins excitedly, “Not if I kill her first.”

Wait.

What?

This is getting WAY off topic…

“Horde Prime would find out if you killed Shadow Weaver and have you banished or executed.”

Adora’s grin only grows wider, “Okay, then let’s kill him, too.”

Hordak outstretched his arms out in front of him as he begins to practically yell, “You’re not thinking this through, Adora! You’re being reckless.”

Adora crosses her arms with a huff, “Stop treating me like a baby! I’m not being reckless, I’ve been thinking about this for the past five hundred years!”

“It’s risky. What do we do after we’ve killed them both?”

Her grin morphs into a smirk, “We could rule the Horde, and make it good. Think about how much _better_ the Fright Zone could be if we were the ones making the rules.”

Hordak _does_ think about it. 

Maybe the Horde would benefit from a leader like Adora…

He concedes, “Fine, that sounds like a good idea. We still need a plan, though.”

Adora uncrosses her arms and stands up, “Then let’s make one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might not be the way you thought this fic was going to go, or it might have been. Either way, I hope the fact that Adora and Hordak are, in fact, staying with the Horde was a good surprise to you guys.
> 
> Chapter title credit: [#2 of this tumblr post](https://dungeons-and-danis.tumblr.com/post/182877147134/dungeons-and-danis-dungeons-and-danis-ive)


	8. i wish you wouldn't look at me like that (like you could love me)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora helps Shadow Weaver.
> 
> Hordak helps Adora.
> 
> Something unexpected happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, before you freak out, that chapter summary is a lot more dramatic than the chapter actually is. I just love being an over-dramatic idiot. 
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I like it, and I had fun writing it :) There's some angst at the start, some planning, and a dash of humour! I'm sorry for posting this a little late, by the way. I've been a little overwhelmed lately, and my mental health has totally spiralled downwards recently. (TW: Self-harm) If you've read my coffee shop AU, you know I've struggled with self-harm for a while now. I had a couple of relapses, but I'm doing okay now. Writing has been nice, though. Anyway, I hope you like this AU so far!
> 
> If you guys like this chapter, you could leave a kudo or a comment, or both! I appreciate all of your support so so much, you guys have no idea. 
> 
> Ok, bye-bye!

\----  
**Adora**

Shadow Weaver calls out the name of a magical substance from the spellbook in front of her. Adora turns to the shelves behind her and searches for the right bottle.

Adora passes the vial filled with dark purple liquid to Shadow Weaver, who adds the substance to the large, black cauldron in front of her. A large plume of smoke rises from the cauldron, showing that the spell is working.

Shadow Weaver turns to Adora, who’s now standing beside her, “Those are all the ingredients I need. You may leave now.”

Mostly when she helps Shadow Weaver with spells, Adora will leave the second she’s not being forced to help. This time, though, she has a plan. This time, she stays.

Instead of going back up the stairs of the basement, Adora goes and sits down on the small, comfortable armchair that sits in the room's corner. Usually, Shadow Weaver sits there to read books on magic or wait for her potions to finish brewing. Adora hands her legs off of the edge of the chair and rests her back on the arm of the chair. 

Shadow Weaver simultaneously looks surprised and annoyed to see Adora staying and sitting in her chair. “What are you still doing here? Get out, I have work to do.”

Adora groans as she rests her head on the arm of the chair, “I’m _bored_ , though. I have nothing else to do today, anyway.”

The dark sorceress crosses her arms, “So you’ve decided to annoy me while I work?”

“Yup.” She pops the ‘p’ sound as she lifts her head back up to grin mischievously. 

Instead of forcing Adora to leave, Shadow Weaver sighs and continues working on her potion, "Fine, but don't break anything."

\----

After hours of trial and error, Shadow Weaver’s potion still doesn’t seem to turn out how she wants it to.

Adora is napping on the armchair in the same position as when she first sat. There’s only so long you can watch someone throw random stuff into a cauldron and form some runes on top of it. 

The blonde is awoken by a loud and very annoyed groan from her mentor. She opens her eyes to see Shadow Weaver reading a page in her spellbook with enough focus to burn a hole through the worn-out paper. 

“What happened?” Adora rubs her eyes as she yawns.

Shadow Weaver turns to look at Adora with a slightly surprised expression, as if she forgot Adora was even there. After placing the book down on a table beside her, Shadow Weaver crosses her arms again, “I didn’t realize you were so interested in dark magic.” Her tone is practically dripping sarcasm.

Adora snorts, “Oh, don’t worry, I’m not. Dark magic is a waste of time, and resources. I just have nothing else to do. Besides, maybe explaining the problem to me will help you figure out a solution.”

Shadow Weaver doesn’t seem offended by Adora’s opinions on dark magic. Well, to be fair, she _has_ heard them loud and clear for the past few centuries. The masked woman seems to ponder Adora’s words for a moment, though. “Fine. There’s one ingredient that I must add to the potion, light essence, but the substance isn’t reacting well with the other ingredients. I changed the recipe to replace the light magic with dark magic, but the dark magic is going against that one ingredient.”

Adora shrugs, “Easy, don’t add the light essence, then.”

The black-haired woman’s eyes widened, showing that she never thought about that, “You can’t just _remove_ this ingredient.”

“Why not?”

“It’s one of the first rules of sorcery! Without light essence, the magic might become unstable.”

Adora raises a brow, “Yeah, but that rule only applies to normal magic. You’re _clearly_ not using normal sorcery, so you shouldn’t follow normal sorcery rules.”

“It’s dangerous and reckless.”

“Oh, come on, what’s the worst that could happen?”

“If this goes wrong, it’s your fault.” It surprised Adora when Shadow Weaver agreed so quickly. She must really want this spell to work. 

With a sigh, Shadow Weaver turns back to the cauldron and dumps the liquid inside into a large drain on the floor. The dark sorceress turns back to Adora, “Go get me the same ingredients from before, but without the light essence.”

Grinning, Adora goes to get the bottles from the shelf. It wasn’t actually a part of her plan to help Shadow Weaver, but whatever distracts her for longer.

They go through the entire spell process but without one ingredient. Adora sits back down after she hands the ingredients to her mentor, hanging her legs off the edge again. 

The plume of smoke rises again but, after a few minutes, the smoke changes from an ashy gray colour to a vibrant purple colour. 

Shadow Weaver stands back, watching the purple smoke with wide eyes, “Huh. You were right.”

Adora scoffs, “It was a pretty simple solution. I’m surprised you didn’t think of it before.”

Shadow Weaver turns her head to look at Adora with a look in her eyes that Adora’s never seen before. Is that… pride? No way, Shadow Weaver has never been proud of Adora before. “Hm… Maybe you should help me with spells more often.”

At that, Adora actually laughs, a rare occurrence when with the masked woman. “I think I’ll pass, thanks.” Shadow Weaver doesn’t seem disappointed in her words.

Adora glances at the clock on the wall beside the door. She’s late.

She stands up and stretches, “Well, this has been fun, but I’m going to go take a nap now.” They’ve been in the basement for so many hours that it’s dark outside by now. Napping is a good excuse, right?

Shadow Weaver doesn’t glance up at Adora, too focused on skimming through her spellbook and changing her spell recipes, “Alright. Good job, Adora. You did well today.”

Adora pauses at the stairs. That’s the first time Shadow Weaver has ever complimented her while nobody is around. Usually, she’ll give Adora fake praise in front of others so that she looks like a good mentor, but she’s never given her a genuine compliment for her actions. 

The words remind her of her mother’s sweet voice as she congratulated Adora for anything she’d done. Sometimes she wouldn’t even need to do something for Marlena to give her support. She would just give and give every ounce of love in her human heart. 

Adora shakes her head weakly as she continues walking up the stairs. That time is long over. She’ll never hear her mom’s voice again. She’ll never feel her hugs, or her forehead kisses, or hear her laugh, or be able to go to her for advice. That bridge burned over five hundred years ago, and now all she’s left with is Shadow Weaver. The woman who is the exact opposite of the kind, caring woman who raised Adora. Shadow Weaver wouldn't give Adora any love from that charred, black lump of coal she calls her heart.

Maybe, though, she can honour Marlena by trying to be a good person, even after all these years. 

It’s the least she deserves after everything she did for Adora. She was always so kind, so compassionate, and how did Adora repay her? By joining the Horde and killing thousands. By becoming a _monster_.

It’s… _disgraceful_.

It’s weak.

But maybe she can change. Maybe she can be strong for her.

Adora keeps walking until she reaches her bedroom. She opens the door and quickly locks it behind herself to ensure that Shadow Weaver won’t come in. 

Instead of going to bed, like she told Shadow Weaver, Adora goes under her bed to grab the rope ladder she hid yesterday.

The blonde vampire opens her window, looking down to see Hordak standing at the bottom expectantly. He crosses his arms as he looks up at Adora, “You’re late.”

The blonde throws down the rope ladder she found in the basement for Hordak to climb. One perk of being immortal is that you collect a lot of random junk over the years that might be useful one day. “I had to make sure Shadow Weaver wouldn’t get suspicious.”

Hordak makes it to the ledge of the window fairly quickly. It’s a good thing he was genetically created to have stronger muscles, or else that climb would’ve been way more difficult for him.

Adora grabs his hand and practically pulls him inside. Once both his feet are on the floor, Adora pulls the ladder back up and closes her window. She turns back to see Hordak looking at her anxiously, “So there’s no chance of her finding out about our plans?”

“There’s no way. She’s going to be busy doing spells for the rest of the week, at least.” She has a smug grin on her face as she says this, proud of herself. 

Hordak nods, not questioning Adora’s methods, as he goes and sits down on the edge of Adora’s bed. Adora sits down in her desk chair as she pulls out some old papers from a drawer.

Hordak looks at the papers with scrunched brows, “You already planned all that? We only agreed to do this a week ago.”

Adora lays out the paper on her desk, “No, these are from a few hundred years ago. What, you think this is the first time I’ve planned to kill Shadow Weaver?”

Hordak’s brow raises, “So, why haven’t you succeeded yet? You’ve been planning for so long, how have you not killed her yet?”

At that, Adora sighs and puts down the last paper on her wooden desk, “It wouldn’t work. She could’ve killed me with dark magic again.”

“I thought you were immune to her magic, though.”

“I am, but that’s only because I’ve developed a tolerance to dark magic after being around it for five centuries. I’ve only been immune for a few decades, but Shadow Weaver doesn’t know her magic doesn’t hurt me anymore.”

Both of Hordak’s eyebrows are raised now, “You’ve been pretending to be affected by her dark magic.” It’s not a question, but a statement, as if he’s connecting the dots in his head out loud.

Despite Hordak not asking her, Adora nods. 

After the initial shock passes, excitement quickly replaces it, “Do you know how easy it would be for you to kill her? She’s practically useless without her magic!”

Adora laughs, “Well, it’s touching that you’re so confident in my strength.”

Hordak scoffs, “What are you talking about? Of course, you’re strong. I would argue that you’re the strongest person in the Fright Zone.”

“Well, what about you? You’re strong, too. I wasn’t genetically modified in a lab to be extra strong like you.”

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t trained as a child to hunt vampires and use deadly weapons.”

The two friends laugh loudly, but try to stay quiet once they remember Shadow Weaver is two floors below them. Adora wipes the tears of mirth from her eyes, “Let’s just agree that we’re the two strongest people in the Horde.”

“Agreed. It’s a perfect tie.”

Their cheerful moods quickly disappear as they remember why Hordak’s here in the first place. Hordak sighs, “So, should we plan now?”

Adora nods, “Yeah. So, what first?”

\----  
**Many hours later…**

It was a painstakingly long process, but they finally came up with a plan that’s mostly safe (as safe as you can get while killing a tyrant) and ensures that nobody will become suspicious of them. 

The plan is to kill Shadow Weaver first, then Horde Prime. If they kill Horde Prime first, Shadow Weaver will take the throne for herself. Also, Shadow Weaver is more likely to catch on to their plans than Horde Prime. The man is the ruler of the Horde, it’s not likely he’ll notice if Hordak is acting a little different after his Second-in-Command dies. 

First, they’ll kill Shadow Weaver at the very end of a party a few weeks from now. They’ll do it after Horde Prime has said goodbye to her for the night, then they’ll attack her while she’s distracted. Adora will act all heartbroken over the death of her ‘devoted mentor’, and Horde Prime will be too busy dealing with the aftermath to focus on Hordak or Adora.

Killing Horde Prime will be an entirely different story. Guards almost always surround the ruler, especially in the daytime. Well, that’s because the last person he expects to assassinate him is someone of his own kind. He’ll never see it coming. Adora will meet with Horde Prime in his manor to discuss Shadow Weaver’s death (she’s already got her crocodile tears ready) while Hordak takes care of the guards. While Horde Prime and Adora talk, Hordak will strike when he least expects it. 

Adora groans from her desk chair, “I don’t understand why we can’t make their deaths more painful, though.”

Hordak sighs for the umpteenth time. He’s been trying to convince Adora to keep their plan as safe as possible for at least an hour now.

“There’s no point in useless theatrics right now. We need to make their deaths quick and as undramatic as possible, it’s the safest method.”

“You and I both know they deserve so much worse than what we’re giving them.” 

Hordak knows there’s more to it than that. The blue-haired man stands up and in front of Adora’s chair, placing a hand on her shoulder, “I know you want to make Shadow Weaver suffer as much as she’s made you suffer, but she’s not worth the effort. Trust me, I _know_ that Horde Prime and Shadow Weaver deserve deaths a million times worse than what we’re planning, but we need to be careful. We need to succeed where they didn’t.”

Adora’s eyes soften at Hordak’s speech. She sighs as she puts her face in her hands, “I know you’re right, but that doesn’t make this any easier.”

Hordak chuckles dryly as he pats Adora’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”

Adora raises her head to give him an incredulous look, “Do you really believe that?”

He nods, confident.

The blonde places her head back into her hands as she rests her elbows on her knees. Hordak leans backwards until he’s lying on his back on the bed and half of both his legs are dangling off the edge. They two sit in comfortable silence as Adora collects her thoughts.

Eventually, she remembers what she was thinking about while she was walking upstairs.

What’s the point in all of this if she and Hordak are just as bad as _them_? They’d basically be the new Shadow Weaver and Horde Prime. She practically shivers in disgust and fear at being even remotely like the masked woman. 

There’s no point in doing any of this if they’re going to continue being monsters. The Horde would just continue being a kingdom full of the angry and _alone_ bloodthirsty killers that the rest of Etheria knows. Who decided that vampires are incapable of being regular, happy people? Nobody chooses to be a vampire, so why are the citizens of the Horde forced to live out the rest of their immortal lives in misery?

It breaks Adora’s heart to think of all the wasted potential that was lost in the Horde. All of those doctors, scientists, artists, engineers, bakers, shopkeepers, and just… people that were robbed of the opportunity to live, forced to spend their years killing to survive.

Maybe if they got Entrapta to find an alternative to human blood, vampires could lead mostly normal lives and maybe even be happy.

Finally, Adora lifts her head up to look at Hordak, who seems to be taking a nap on her bed. She sighs and stands up to glare at him. The vampire grabs a pillow from her bed and slams it into Hordak’s face. The man wakes up with a startle, jumping up into a sitting position with a terrified look on his face.

He whips his head around to look for what just hit him, “What?! What’s happening?”

Adora dissolves into fits of laughter at the look on his face. Hordak glares at her angrily as he throws the pillow back into Adora’s hands rather forcefully. 

After Adora has regained her composure, she jumps up onto the bed and sits down with her legs crisscrossed. Hordak’s angry glare slowly morphs into a curious look as he turns around to face her, “What do you want?”

Adora scoffs, “Okay, first, you were napping on _my_ bed while we were planning.” Hordak looks ready to argue at that, but Adora beats him to the punch. “Second, we still have one more thing to think about.”

“What’s left? We’ve accounted for almost any circumstances.”

“What about us being, I don’t know, good people?”

Hordak raises a brow, “What are you talking about?”

“We can’t take over the Horde if we’re going to keep being bad people. We might as well just let Horde Prime keep ruling the Horde if we do that."

Hordak seems to think about this for a second, before sighing in defeat, “You’re right. We’d just be replacing them if we continue. I don’t want to be like Horde Prime, and I know you don’t want to be like Shadow Weaver.”

They both grimaced at the thought of replacing their mentors and essentially becoming the younger versions of them.

“But what do we do?”

“Let’s just try and brainstorm some ideas.”

\----  
**Way Too Much Time Later…**

Hordak groans from his spot sprawled out on the hardwood floor, “This is impossible!”

Adora mumbles in agreement while she buries her face in a pillow on her bed. She’s considering just falling asleep here and letting Hordak find his own way of sneaking out without being noticed by Shadow Weaver.

She’s awoken by a throw pillow hitting the back of her head, ruining her hair, which has been out of its usual ponytail all day.

“If I'm not allowed to sleep, then you can’t either," he grumbles with a loud yawn.

Adora runs a hand down her face, “Hordak, we can’t do this on our own.”

Hordak seems surprised to see Adora giving up so soon. He’s never seen Adora give up before, and he’s known her for over five hundred years. “So, what are we supposed to do, find someone to teach us how to be good people?”

He was being sarcastic when he said this, obviously, but that’s exactly what Adora plans to do. She stares at her friend until understanding dawns on his face.

“No.”

“Hordak, come on.”

“I will not do that.”

“It won’t be that bad.”

“No, Adora. I refuse to ask the princesses for help!”

\----  
**The next day…**

The skiff drives through the Whispering Woods, leading Adora and Hordak to Brightmoon.

Adora has a smug grin on her face as she looks over at Hordak that reads, ‘ _I win._ ”

Hordak crosses his arms and pouts, “Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now you guys know! Adora is totally immune to dark magic. Before you guys ask, Adora was affected by SW's magic in an earlier chapter because SW was choking her with the magic. No amount of experience would make Adora able to breathe without air. 
> 
> Chapter title credit: Sue Zhao, Dialogues on Love #4, "Maybe I already do"
> 
> I would also like to clarify that the chapter title is talking about PARENTAL love!!! NOT ROMANTIC!!! GUYS DON"T SHIP ADORA WITH HER ABUSIVE MOTHER-FIGURE!!!


	9. Adora and Hordak's Guide to Being Better People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora and Hordak get some assistance in learning how to be better people. 
> 
> It goes as well as you expect it to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This chapter is a total rollercoaster, but I hope it's in a good way. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!! If you do, you could leave a kudo, a comment, or both! I appreciate comments so so much and I love reading them all.
> 
> There's a map of Etheria at the end of this chapter, btw!
> 
> Ok, bye-bye!
> 
> TW: violence (mentioned), death (mentioned), panic attack

\----

The skiff drives through the Whispering Woods, leading Adora and Hordak to Brightmoon.

Adora has a smug grin on her face as she looks over at Hordak that reads, ‘I win.”

Hordak crosses his arms and pouts, “Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

“Well, you were thinking about it.”

Adora laughs as she drives the skiff, “Oh, come on, stop being so grumpy. At this rate, Queen Angella will banish us from Brightmoon before we even step in.”

Hordak turns in the direction the skiff is going, already seeing the tall palace looming above the trees. He sighs, knowing Adora’s right but not wanting to admit it, “Fine. I’ll be on my best behaviour.” Adora chuckles again at his sarcasm.

Eventually, the two friends clear the thick forest and see Brightmoon Palace in all its glory. The Moonstone glows consistently above Brightmoon, casting colourful lights down onto the castle. There is a gigantic mountain directly behind the palace that pours bright blue water down underneath the castle via a waterfall. 

Adora snorts, “It’s very… bright.”

Beside her, Hordak chuckles, “Maybe that’s why it’s called _Brightmoon_.”

They sober up once they remember why they’re here. To ask people who most likely see them as cruel monsters to help them become good people. Well, as good as two vampires who are about to overthrow their government can be.

They walk down the long bridge that leads to the front foyer of the palace. As soon as they make it near the castle, two guards run over to them frantically. 

“Halt! Halt, I say!”

Adora and Hordak stop, as per the guards’ requests.

The guards come to stand in front of them, looking out of breath. Adora can’t tell if they’re struggling to breathe because they ran here or because they’re scared. Either way, Adora tries to smile as nicely as she can. The guards only seem more put off by her smile.

“What is your business in Brightmoon?”

Hordak answers instead of Adora, “We are here to discuss some matters with Princess Glimmer.”

The guards raise an eyebrow at that, “You are? Did Princess Glimmer request for your presence?”

The two vampires smile sheepishly at that. Adora answers this time, “Well, we were actually hoping to request for her presence…”

Both guards turn to look at the other with knowing looks, having an entire argument with only their eyes. This might be harder than they thought.

One guard turns back to them, while the other turns around to face the palace. “Come with us.” The guard turns, too, and both guards walk towards the castle. Adora and Hordak follow closely behind them, but not too close.

The four of them quickly make it inside of the castle. The guards walk stoically in front of them, while Adora and Hordak look around the elegantly decorated palace halls. There are bright pastel colours everywhere and decorative artwork scattered throughout the palace. It’s a stark difference from Prime’s lair, which is mostly boring white and green walls and empty halls with clones watching you at every corner.

It’s only once they reach the large extravagant doors which lead to Queen Angella’s throne room Adora gets nervous about this plan. What if Glimmer refuses to help them? It wouldn’t be surprising, given how Adora treated her the last time they saw each other.

The doors open and the guards step aside to allow Adora and Hordak into the room. Adora can already see Angella sitting confidently at her ornate throne hovering in the air.

Adora and Hordak glance at each other anxiously before walking in.

As soon as the ruler sees Adora and Hordak walking in, her eyes widen in surprise. Horde representatives rarely leave the Horde if they don’t need to, and they definitely don’t show up at Brightmoon Palace unannounced.

The two vampires reach the end of the throne room, standing awkwardly in front of the Queen. Adora goes to kneel but notices that Hordak isn’t moving from his spot. She elbows him in the rib and he gets the hint quickly. They both kneel with their heads bowed for exactly three seconds. 

While Adora’s never respected Shadow Weaver, she tries to respect Horde Prime for the most part; the alternatives being execution or worse, banishment. Since Horde Prime makes it a rule for all of his followers to bow at his throne, she always does. Hordak never bows since he’s almost always standing beside Horde Prime instead of in front of him.

Adora and Hordak stand back up to see the Queen looking at them with a conflicted face. Glimmer must have told her what happened. She must already be planning how to banish them as quickly as possible. Oh man, Shadow Weaver is going to ki-

Queen Angella cuts her thoughts off with the clearing of her throat, “What is your business in Brightmoon?” Her voice is sharp and to the point, while also having a touch of natural gentleness to it. 

Hordak acts confident, but Adora knows he’s just as nervous as her, “We would like to discuss some matters with your daughter, Princess Glimmer.”

Angella raises a brow, “My daughter? What matters must you speak with my daughter about that you cannot speak to me about?” The previous gentle tone in her voice has disappeared. 

Adora gulps and fidgets with her fingers, “Well, we could go to you, but we understand you might be very busy and that you have a lot to do so you might not want to-” The words tumble out of her mouth before she can stop them.

Angella is about to cut off Adora’s word vomit but is interrupted by her daughter’s voice at the doors.

“Adora? What are you doing here?”

The blonde looks like she’s about to faint in her own panic, and whips around to face the purple-haired princess, “Glimmer! It’s great to see you again! We were just asking for you, actually.”

Glimmer walks towards Adora with a confused look etched into her face. Her mother interrupts her before she can speak.

“We didn’t allow you to speak to her yet!”

The princess rolls her eyes, “Mom, it’s fine! I can handle a couple of vampires.”

Adora snickers. All eyes fall on her, and her smile instantly vanishes. “We won’t hurt a princess inside her own palace, or ever. How evil do you think we are?”

Angella looks anywhere but at Adora and Hordak, showing that she definitely thought they were evil enough to do that.

Glimmer looks at Adora instead of her mother, “Follow me. We can talk in the meeting room. There aren't any meetings for the rest of the day.” She turns around and walks out of the room. Adora and Hordak turn back to the Queen, smiling awkwardly before speed-walking out of the room as fast as they can.

They walk to the meeting room to see Glimmer sitting in one chair at a round table patiently. Adora and Hordak walk in and sit down in the chairs opposite her. 

Glimmer intertwines her fingers on the table in front of her to look confident. It doesn’t seem to work very well. “So, what did you want to discuss?”

Adora and Hordak, on the other hand, are the exact opposite of confident at the moment. The blonde vampire is fidgeting with her fingers and looking anywhere but at Glimmer, and the blue-haired vampire is visibly sweating as he looks down at the table. When they were making the plan to come here to ask for help, they never considered how many things could go wrong. Or how embarrassing this is.

Adora is the first to look at Glimmer, a conflicted look on her face, “We need your help.” Hordak nods as he looks up, too. 

Glimmer’s eyebrows scrunch together. What could two vampires possibly need a princess’ help for? She doesn’t say that, obviously, opting for a nicer tone, “What do you need?” Normally, she never would’ve offered to help someone from the Horde so quickly, but she feels guilty for yelling at Adora the last time they talked. 

“Can you help us be better people?”

The purple-haired girl’s eyes widen as she stares at Adora and Hordak. That was the last thing she was expecting from them. “What?”

Hordak sighs, “We want to be… good people, but we don’t know how.”

Glimmer’s eyes soften, “You want to be good people? Why?”

Adora and Hordak glance at each other, deciding whether or not to tell Glimmer their plans to kill Horde Prime and Shadow Weaver. It’s agreed that Glimmer needs to know for her to agree. There’s no way she’d believe them without knowing.

They both turn back to Glimmer, but Adora’s the one who answers, “We’re planning to take over the Horde, and we want to be good when we do.”

Glimmer’s eyes widened again, looking like they’re about to pop out of her head, “You’re planning to _overthrow Horde Prime_ and you didn’t think to mention that?!”

Hordak shrugs, “That’s not why we’re here. We don’t need your help with that.”

Adora nods, “Yeah, don’t worry about that. What we need your help with is being better people. Can you help us?”

The two vampires wait for Glimmer to respond. The Brightmoon princess’ jaw hangs open as she looks between the two vampires. Eventually, she regains some composure and shakes her head. She sighs, knowing this is going to be a challenge, “Yes, I’ll help you.” 

Hordak and Adora cheer and high-five, surprised that Glimmer agreed to help. To be fair, Glimmer’s surprised she agreed, too, but what does she have to lose by helping people be good? 

Glimmer smiles at their friendly gesture. She really assumed the worst from these people, but maybe they’re not as evil as she previously thought. 

They turn back to Glimmer, both with bright smiles on their faces. Glimmer tries her best not to glance at their sharp fangs. Adora looks like she’s practically vibrating with excitement, “So, where do we start?”

Glimmer hums as she thinks about it. “Well, if you’re trying to be good people, you should start by acknowledging why you want to be good people, right? So, why do you want to be good people?”

Adora looks prepared for this question, sitting up straighter in her chair, “Well, when we kill Horde Prime and Shadow Weaver, we’ll take over their roles as Horde Lord and Second-in-Command. If we act the same way as we have for the past few centuries, then we’ll be just like them when we rule the Horde. There’s no point in replacing them if we’re exactly like them in the end. We want vampires to be happy without having to kill to survive. We want the Horde to be better and, for that to happen, we have to be better.”

Unbeknownst to Glimmer, Adora and Hordak have spent a lot of time planning for what to do once they’ve become the rulers of the Horde. They decided Adora should be Horde Lord, and Hordak should be her Second-in-Command. It was Adora’s idea to even try this, and she’s the one who’s come up with a lot of the ideas for the new Fright Zone. It’s only fair that she is the one to rule the kingdom. Besides, Hordak isn’t suited for a leadership role like Horde Lord. He’d probably start a war across the planet within minutes.

Moments of silence pass as Glimmer processes everything Adora just said. After a few seconds, she pauses, “Wait, you want vampires to stop killing? But how are you supposed to survive?” As much as she doesn’t want to admit it, vampires must kill in order to survive. It’s common knowledge on Etheria.

Hordak sits up in his chair, “We want to ask Entrapta to run some experiments on animal blood to find out if we can drink that instead of human blood. If it works, we could stop killing humans entirely.”

Glimmer sits back in her seat. Huh. She never thought about that. Glimmer is so busy thinking about the possibility of the Horde being good that she doesn’t notice that she hasn’t spoken at all in a couple of minutes.

Adora peers over at Glimmer anxiously after silence passes for far too long, “Princess Glimmer?” When the shorter girl doesn’t answer, Adora turns to Hordak, “Oh no, we broke a princess.”

That makes Glimmer snap out of her own thoughts with a shake of her head, “No, I’m fine, just thinking.” The vampires sigh in relief. 

Hordak nods, “So… what now?”

Glimmer rakes her hands through her hair as she thinks. She finally comes up with an idea eventually, “If you want to be better people, you should acknowledge why you’re bad people. Once you know what you’ve done wrong, you can start changing your behaviour.”

Adora and Hordak seem confused by the question, so Glimmer tries to elaborate.

“Okay, how many people have each of you killed? Let’s start there.”

Both vampires seem to think hard about the question. Adora even starts counting on her fingers as Hordak looks up at the ceiling while he thinks. 

“You lost count?!” Glimmer already sounds exasperated, and they haven’t even done anything yet.

Adora’s face brightens, “Oh, I know! Well, I don’t know the exact number, but I’d say it’s about ten thousand-ish.” The fact that she says this so casually only shocks Glimmer more.

The princess’ eyes look like they’re about to pop out again, “WHAT?! You’ve killed over ten-thousand people?!”

“...Yes?” Adora looks sheepish as she curls into herself. 

Glimmer turns to Hordak, “What about you? How many people have you killed?” She tries to keep her voice calm, but it sounds shrill even to her own ears.

Hordak looks a lot more nervous now that he saw how Glimmer reacted to Adora’s number. “Uh… Around five-thousand, maybe?”

Glimmer puts her face into both of her hands. This is going to be way harder than she thought it would be.

Adora and Hordak glance at each other nervously before turning back to an exhausted-looking Glimmer. Hordak frowns, “Are you alright, Princess Glimmer?”

The princess’ head rises again to face the two vampires, “We’re going to need more help.”

\----  
**A few calls later…**

The princesses (plus Sea Hawk and Bow) sit around the meeting table looking at Adora and Hordak, who have the decency to look embarrassed. 

Mermista is the first to speak, “So… why are we here exactly?”

Glimmer stands up, grabbing the attention of everyone. She raises a hand toward the two vampires sitting beside her, “Adora and Hordak want to be good people, but they don’t know how. Do you guys want to help them?”

Perfuma already looks excited to help, “Oh, that’s wonderful! I’d love to help them.”

Scorpia looks almost as excited as her girlfriend, “This is going to be so fun, guys! I’ll help them, too.”

Mermista nods, “Okay, I’ll help, too.” Sea Hawk raises two thumbs up towards Adora and Hordak to show his agreement. 

Frosta creates a fist of ice on top of her own, “I want to help, but only if I can punch one of them in the face.”

Glimmer is about to interject that Frosta is definitely not doing that, but Adora interrupts her, “Uh- you can punch me if you want.” Her voice is sheepish and quiet, as if she’s worried she’s overstepping in a conversation about her and Hordak. Frosta’s eyes flash with something just a little too violent for an 11-year-old. Adora’s eyes flash with immediate regret at her own words.

Glimmer huffs, “Frosta, you are not punching Adora!” She turns to the last two people left at the table, “Bow? Entrapta? Are you guys in?”

Bow nods with a bright smile, “Of course! I can’t wait to help.”

Adora smiles at Bow’s words. He was the first person he met in Brightmoon, and he’s been nothing but kind to her. Is this what all the humans in Brightmoon are like? Maybe she should’ve tried _talking_ to them instead of killing them immediately… 

Entrapta looks up from a tiny robot she was tinkering with. She looks around at the people staring at her expectantly until she finally remembers what they asked, “Oh, sorry! I assumed everyone knew I would help Hordak and Adora. Yes, I will help them.”

Hordak smiles for the first time since arriving as he turns to the purple-haired scientist, “Actually, Entrapta, we had an idea we wanted you to test out, if you want to.” Entrapta practically has stars in her eyes as she takes out her voice recorder, ready to listen. Glimmer sighs and stops Entrapta before she gets caught up in her work.

“Entrapta, can you leave the tinkering for later, please? As soon as Adora and Hordak are busy, you can work, okay?”

The Princess of Dryl nods but continues to tinker with her tiny robot, anyway. 

Glimmer sighs, turning back to the rest of the group, “Okay, so we didn’t get far without you guys. How about we start with Adora and Hordak telling us the number of people they’ve killed?” She looks over to Adora and Hordak expectantly, awaiting their responses. The other princesses seem confused about the seemingly random question. The number probably isn’t that high, is it? Maybe like fifty, sixty...

Hordak tries to keep his voice monotone, but it already sounds meeker than normal, “Around five-thousand.”

Every person’s jaw falls open at the admittance, except for Glimmer and Entrapta’s. Glimmer turns to Adora. The blonde blushes awkwardly as she fiddles with her fingers, “Uh… Ten-thousand-ish.”

A beat of shocked silence passes before everyone speaks at once. 

“How did you kill so many people?!”

“They’re _immortal_ , Scorpia. They’re probably like… thousands of years old, or something.”

“Where do you put the bodies?”

“Does everyone in the Horde kill that much?”

“What do you kill them with?”

“Have you ever killed a princess before?”

Adora and Hordak sit awkwardly as they’re bombarded with questions they don’t have enough time to answer. Glimmer gets the room’s attention with a loud yell, “GUYS!”

The overlapped talking cuts off as they turn to face the Brightmoon princess. “We can’t all talk at once, and this isn’t about asking Adora and Hordak questions about their killing. The whole point of this is so they can stop killing!”

They all nod, agreeing, and get to work planning how they’re going to do this.

\----  
**Some time later…**

Adora and Hordak sit cross-legged side by side as they face Perfuma, who’s sitting in front of them in the same position. All three of them have their eyes closed as Perfuma speaks.

“Now… I want you both to think of things you’ve done which you feel guilty for.”

All they’ve been doing for the past half-hour is some breathing exercises as Adora and Hordak listen to Perfuma speak, but this is their first question from the flower princess.

Hordak speaks first, after taking a deep breath, “I feel guilty for listening to everything Horde Prime told me… and killing all those humans. I ruined so many peoples’ lives.” 

After a moment of silence, Adora responds, “I feel guilty for killing so many humans and helping Shadow Weaver with her dark magic. I’m a monster.” Adora also feels guilty for how she treated Catra and Glimmer, but she doesn’t mention that, for their good and her own. 

The two were initially hesitant to try meditating with Perfuma, but they quickly opened up after a few breathing exercises and calming conversations. It’s crazy how much stress you can hold when you’re living with over five-hundred-year-old burdens, and how nice it can be to ease some of that weight off your shoulders. The scented candles and dim lighting are relaxing, too.

Perfuma hums in acknowledgment, “Very good, you guys. You’re doing great so far.” Both Adora and Hordak smile warmly at that, despite nobody seeing them. Maybe there’s a chance for them, after all…

“Okay, now I want you to say what you each want to do to become a better person.”

The blonde vampire takes a calming breath, “I want to stop killing humans, be kinder to others, and I want to help other vampires become good people, too. I want to make the Horde a kingdom where good vampires are welcome.”

Perfuma nods, “What about you, Hordak?”

The blue-haired man clears his throat, “I want to stop killing humans and be kinder to humans, too. I want to help Entrapta find a way for vampires to survive without having to kill humans. I want vampires to be happy.”

“Those were some amazing answers, you guys should be proud.” Adora doesn’t know if she’s blushing from the praise or from the faint heat of the candles. 

Perfuma takes a deep breath, “Now… You two do understand that this won’t be easy, correct? Becoming better people won’t happen in one day or maybe even one year. It takes time and effort to change yourself for the better.”

Adora and Hordak mimic Perfuma’s breathing as Adora hangs her head, “Yes, we know. This is going to be difficult, but we want to see this all the way through.”

Hordak adds, “We’re willing to put in as much time and effort as we need to be better. It’s the least Etheria deserves for all we’ve done.” Adora nods in agreement, despite neither of them being able to see her. 

Perfuma smiles warmly. It’s so wonderful to see two people who have been so cruel in the past be open to such a big change in their lives. On the other hand, she’s worried that Adora and Hordak don’t know what they’re getting themselves into, which is why she already knows what they’re going to do next with Glimmer.

“You guys did great for your first time meditating! Let’s do some breathing exercises, then we can go.”

Perfuma guides them through a few more breathing exercises, Adora and Hordak filling up their old lungs with candle-scented air. It does wonders to make them feel more relaxed than they have in years.

Eventually, they all stand up, ready for Glimmer to help them with one last thing for the day.

\----  
**Glimmer**

The Princess of Brightmoon watches the door to the meeting room open to reveal a very calm-looking Adora and Hordak, followed by Perfuma. They’re all smiling serenely and laughing as they practically float into the room. 

Her mouth twitches as she’s about to smile, but she doesn’t. She’s happy that Adora and Hordak had a calming session with Perfuma, but becoming good people will not be calming in the slightest. It’s going to be tiring, and painful, and heartbreaking. They need to do this, though.

Perfuma slips out of the room once Adora and Hordak make it inside. Once the two vampires see Glimmer’s stern facial expression, their smiles fade as they sit down opposite to the purple-haired princess. 

Adora’s voice cuts through the uncomfortable silence, already sounding nervous, “So… what’s next?”

With a swipe of her hand, Glimmer makes a hologram of Etheria appear on the meeting table. After another swipe, what must be thousands of red dots bloom all across the entire map. Well, almost the entire map. There isn’t a single dot in the Fright Zone. Adora and Hordak both know where this is going and immediately feel all of Perfuma’s calming energy drain out of them.

Glimmer looks down mournfully at all the red dots. She lifts her head up to look at Adora and Hordak, who have similar looks on their faces, “These are all the documented places where someone has been killed by a vampire in the past few years.” She focuses her eyes on a single dot in Brightmoon Palace. The dot that represents her father, King Micah. 

Neither Adora nor Hordak look up at Glimmer from the screen, too engrossed with the sheer amount of dots below them. How many of those were caused by them? How many of those humans did they witness die? Could one of them have killed her da-

Glimmer shakes her head to stop that thought in its tracks. It’ll do nothing to think about that. All she can do now is try to honour him, and she can do that by helping the Horde become a better place. 

The purple-haired girl opens her mouth to begin the speech she planned for Adora and Hordak that explains to them why murder is bad. She was expecting them to defend their action at least a little, but they’ve been completely silent this entire time.

It’s only when she sees both of their eyes glistening with unshed tears that she clamps her mouth shut. Glimmer sits down and waits for them to say something or, you know, react at all. She's surprised all it took for them to start crying was seeing all the dots. Well, they've probably never seen all of their kills visualized like this before, living in blissful ignorance before Glimmer showed them the board. Glimmer can hardly imagine what they're going through right now, almost feeling a little pity for the vampires. All of that hidden guilt building and building for centuries only to snap one day and come pouring out at once.

After a minute of silence, a small whimper comes from Adora. Glimmer looks up to see Hordak visibly shaking from across the table. She tries to break the almost painful silence as gently as she can, “Guys? Are you okay?”

That was definitely not the right thing to say as the dam holding both of their emotions together explodes into a million tiny pieces. Adora lets out a sob, followed by quick tears rolling down her face. She hides her face in her hands and pulls her knees to her chest as her sobs wracked her body loudly. Hordak is crying too, but he has both his hands on the side of his head as he looks down at the dots with a horrified look on his face. 

Could this get any worse?

\----  
**Just Under Five minutes later...**

It _definitely_ could get worse.

After both Adora and Hordak began crying, Glimmer tried her best to comfort them. She tried talking, but both their brains seem to be going too fast to hear her. Also, Adora’s crying way too much to speak right now. Hordak sits in the same position as before, obsessively staring at the board as quiet tears roll down his face and he murmurs unintelligible nothings.

Glimmer stands up and moves to kneel in front of Adora, who’s taken to sitting curled up on the floor beside the table with her arms over her head, rocking herself as sobs continue to roll out of her. She looks like she’s protecting herself from a hit. The blonde is barely breathing, gasping for every breath. 

“Adora? Can you look up for me?”

The sight that greets Glimmer breaks her heart, despite only having met Adora a week ago. Adora’s eyes and face are puffy and red from crying, and there’s a mix of dried and fresh tears on her cheeks. Her breathing is still rough and coming out in gasps.

Glimmer raises a hand to touch Adora’s shoulder but hesitates. She looks back up into red eyes, “Can I touch you?”

Adora nods, so Glimmer gently places her hands on Adora’s shoulders, hoping it will ground the vampire to the present. The princess smiles, “I need you to breathe with me, okay? Let’s take a deep breath together.”

Glimmer inhales deeply and then exhales the same air. She looks expectantly at Adora, waiting for her to follow. 

Adora tries, but cannot mimic Glimmer. She panics again, practically hyperventilating at this point. 

Glimmer tries an alternative approach. “Okay, how about this. When I move my hands up your arms, we’ll breathe in together, and then when I move my hands down your arms, we’ll breathe out together, okay?”

She waits for Adora to nod, wanting her to understand what’s happening around her. Once she does, Glimmer’s arms slowly slide up Adora’s arm. While she does this, Glimmer inhales as deeply as she can. Adora tries and takes one large inhale, even if it is incredibly shaky. They hold their breath for a second, then Glimmer slides her hands downwards and they exhale at the same time.

They repeat this process until Adora has calmed down and can breathe normally, mostly. Once Glimmer is certain that Adora will be alright, she takes her hands off, “You did great, Adora.”

Adora looks at Glimmer as if she’s about to smile, but she falters, instead opting to look down shamefully. Glimmer, not wanting to interrogate Adora after seeing her so vulnerable, lets it go. 

Suddenly, Adora seems to remember something urgent. She tries to stand up quickly, but she wobbles on her shaky legs. Glimmer is at Adora’s side in a second, pushing her to sit down after what just happened. “What’s wrong, Adora?”

Adora seems frantic as she scans the room, but her vision is limited from her spot on the floor, “Is Hordak okay? He just found out the same news as me.”

Oh, yeah. Glimmer was so worried about Adora’s panic attack that she forgot Hordak was there. He didn’t _seem_ in as bad of a state as Adora, though. She stands up to see how the blue-haired man is doing, only to see him asleep at the meeting table. The crying must have exhausted all his energy. Glimmer kneels back down to an anxious Adora. 

“Well? Is he okay or not?” Adora looks ready to get up and help her friend at any moment, despite her tired state.

Glimmer grins as she remembers Hordak sleepily drooling on the table, “Don’t worry, he’s fine. He’s actually asleep at the table right now.”

Adora sighs in relief, sagging further into her spot on the floor. Glimmer goes and sits beside Adora, mimicking her sitting position, with her knees pulled up to her knees and her head resting on the top of her knees. The two girls sit in silence, but it isn’t uncomfortable like earlier.

Adora breaks the silence.

“T-Thank you, Glimmer.” She leans her head on Glimmer’s shoulder.

“You’re welcome, Adora.” Glimmer smiles down at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a map of Etheria to help you visualize everything happening in this fic!! I tried to make it as accurate as possible to canon, and I also used a reference pic from He-Man. So, before you get mad at me for the map being geographically or canonically incorrect, blame He-Man (or me, I don't mind). By the way, the Northern Reach and the Kingdom of Snows are meant to be switched. I spent a maximum of five minutes making the map, but whatever. Doing a shitty job is better than doing no job.
> 
> [](https://ibb.co/xYvGnfK)  
> 
> 
> Ok, I KNOWW this looks like it was drawn by a 4-year-old, and that the colours are annoying, but at least you can read it, right? It's too late to change it, anyway.
> 
> If you guys are ever curious, I can make a map that also includes Eternia and Horde Legion because that one is entirely different. 
> 
> Just so you guys know, Horde Prime did eventually figure out the whole cloning thing in the end. That's why he has clones at his lair. Hordak was his second attempt (first if you forget about Imp) at cloning, and he figures it out soon after.
> 
> Ok, bye-bye!


	10. the princess and the lonely vampire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glimmer is curious.
> 
> Hordak and Entrapta do an experiment.
> 
> Catra forgives.
> 
> Adora saves a life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm really excited for you guys to read this chapter! It has a lot of POV switches in it because it's pretty much just a group of one-shots. I don't really want to talk a lot about Adora and Hordak's good people lessons because they're pretty uneventful in my opinion. If you want more info on it, you can check out the endnotes, but this chapter goes over the important stuff.
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it and may have cried a tiny bit at one point (I won't spoil it)! If you do enjoy this, you could leave a kudo or a comment, or both! They are both so appreciated and any comments (even constructive criticism ones) bring a smile to my face.
> 
> Ok, bye-bye!
> 
> TW: panic attacks, violence, mentions of blood

\----  
**Day 1: Glimmer**

And so that’s how Glimmer ends up sitting on the floor with one vampire napping on her shoulder beside her and another asleep at her meeting table. 

Glimmer glances down at the sleeping blonde beside her. Adora’s eyes are puffy and red, but her face is relaxed and peaceful. The purple-haired girl sighs as she notices the faint tear tracks still visible on Adora’s cheeks.

She knew Adora felt guilty about her actions, but she didn’t know to what extent. Well, it has been… a really long time. Of course, she feels guilty, but enough to have a panic attack so suddenly?

Glimmer was always under the impression that vampires are unfeeling monsters, knowing nothing other than the taste of human blood. What else was she meant to think? She’d grown up with her mom, telling her all about how vampires were monsters and evil, and then she had to find out a vampire had killed her father.

She’d never known that vampires could feel emotions, much less have emotions as strong as the ones Adora just had. Glancing down at Adora, Glimmer doesn’t see a monster, she sees a friend. A friend who needs her help. 

Glimmer is so distracted while looking down at Adora that she forgets Hordak is there, too, until she hears his voice over the wave of silence that had washed over the three of them.

“Is she alright?”

Glimmer smiles warmly as she looks down at Adora for one more second before turning her gaze upward. It’s sweet that the first thing both Adora and Hordak did after their own guilt mostly subsided was asked how the other is doing. She’s glad they both have had someone to look out for them over the years.

“She’s doing okay now,” Glimmer debates adding what just happened, “She- um- she had a panic attack earlier.”

Hordak sends a sad look towards Adora as his eyebrows bunch together in concern.

The Brightmoon princess raises a weak brow, “You don’t seem very surprised at that. Does Adora get panic attacks a lot?” Glimmer doesn’t know where this sudden curiosity came from. Maybe she just wants to know what emotions vampires feel.

At that, Hordak gives Glimmer a conflicted look. Eventually, he sighs, “It’s not my place to tell you this, but… yes, she does. Life has not been very kind to Adora, and it has taken a toll on her.”

That’s a very… cryptic answer, but Glimmer lets it slide with a nod. It’s the best she’s probably going to get from him. Maybe she can ask Adora later… 

Before she can even plan how to ask Adora about her past, Hordak’s voice cuts in again.

“Don’t ask her what happened.” While his voice was calm and even a little gentle earlier, it now has a sharp, warning tone to it. 

Glimmer attempts to lighten the mood, “I mean, can you blame me for being a little curious?” 

Hordak sneers slightly at her, “I’m warning you, Princess Glimmer, don’t ask her. I don’t think you want to know, and I know she doesn’t want to tell you.” Glimmer is almost certain now that Hordak knows what Glimmer said to Adora the first time they spoke. Those two are practically best friends, of course Adora told him. Glimmer gulps and nods, nervous.

With that, the two fall into a silence. The tension in the room is so thick someone could cut it in half with a sword. 

After what feels like an eternity, Hordak stands up slowly and walks to stand in front of the two girls sitting in front of the floor. The blue-haired man kneels down and outstretches an arm. Glimmer flinches instinctively, but Hordak’s hand moves to Adora’s shoulder instead. He sends her a glare as he lightly shakes Adora’s shoulder to wake her up. 

“Adora, wake up. We’re leaving now, come on.” Glimmer almost does a double-take upon hearing his voice. She’s never heard him sound half as gentle as he does now. 

Slowly, but surely, Adora peeks her eyes open to look at Hordak. She rubs her eyes despite the tears having dried long ago. Glimmer notices Adora’s hands shake slightly, and turns away, feeling like she’s intruding on a vulnerable moment. She hears the two vampires’ voices.

“Are you alright, Adora?”

There’s a pause. 

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Adora’s voice is weak and hoarse from the crying, barely above a whisper. 

“Come on, let’s go.”

Glimmer turns to see Hordak grab Adora’s hand and pull her up. Neither of them are standing as confidently as when they first walked in. Glimmer stands with them just as the double doors open to reveal the others.

They all cautiously walk into the room wearing awkward smiles. Bow is the first to break the awkward silence, waving at the vampires, “Hey guys… Wh-What’s up?”

“We’re leaving,” Hordak deadpans. As soon as he says this, he and Adora rush towards the door. Hordak makes sure Adora’s behind him before turning down the corridor that leads to the front of the castle. Adora stumbles a couple of times as she glances at the others for a split second before she makes it to the door and walks down the same corridor. 

Everyone turns to Glimmer. 

“So… I’m assuming it didn’t go well?”

Glimmer sighs, “I think it could’ve gone better, Bow.”

\----  
**Day 1: Adora**

Her shaky legs lead her to the front of the palace, where their skiff lays waiting for them. Hordak’s already waiting for her on the machinery, looking… angry?

Adora boards the skiff and moves to grab the steering handle of the skiff. Before her hand can contact the metal, Hordak grabs her wrist gently and stands to take over the controls. 

“I can drive, it’s fine.” 

“It’s not fine, Adora. _You’re_ not fine, so go sit down, okay?” 

Adora nods at his aggressive kindness and goes to sit down opposite of Hordak. The frigid chill of the metal on her hands helps ground her to the present. 

The skiff comes to life as Hordak ignites the engine, and they fly back into the Whispering Woods. Neither of them speaks, letting the rustling of the leaves be the only sound they hear.

Eventually, Adora looks up at Hordak. 

His face is stoic, but there’s a slight quiver to his lip that gives him away. His knuckles are white from gripping the controls so tightly. He’s shaking so badly that Adora can see it from her spot on the floor of the skiff.

“Hordak?” She says this as gently as she can.

The man turns his head to the side to glance at her, “Yes?” His voice is shaking. 

“Are you okay?” It’s more of a rhetorical question that Adora already knows the answer to, but she asks anyway. 

That single question breaks any walls that Hordak had built up. Tears quickly pool in his eyes and slide down his face, dripping onto his arm. He quickly shuts his eyes to quell his feelings, but that only makes more tears come. A small sob escapes him before he can stop it.

Adora quickly stands and takes the controls from Hordak as the blue-haired man stumbles backwards until he’s sitting in the same spot Adora was moments ago. Adora drives the skiff, ensuring they reach their destination and not a hospital, as Hordak sobs into his hands. 

She says nothing as she lets Hordak feel the emotions he’s been burying for however many years, knowing Hordak won’t have a chance once they reach Horde Prime’s manor. Adora listens to make sure he isn’t having a panic attack while trying to give him the space he needs. 

After some time, Hordak’s weak voice rasps out, “I’m sorry.”

Adora turns to look at him for a moment, “Don’t be sorry for having emotions, Hordak. You don’t have to hide them with me. We’re friends, remember?” The ghost of a smile traces Hordak’s face but disappears as quickly as it came. He nods, so Adora turns back around.

The blonde assumes Hordak will stay quiet now, but she hears his voice from behind her again.

“ I should help you, not the other way around.”

Adora doesn’t turn around this time, “It wouldn’t be fair if you got to help me, but I didn’t help you. You’re not my _babysitter_ , and I’m very capable of helping you.” It makes her frustrated sometimes when Hordak treats her like some helpless baby, but she tries not to let it annoy her too much. She knows it comes from a place of care.

That pulls a weak chuckle out of Hordak, “You _are_ very capable of helping me, Adora. Thank you.”

Adora smiles, “You’re welcome. Now, do you want to talk about what we just saw, or do you want to keep sitting in silence?” Her offer might have been a little inspired by Perfuma’s meditating sessions. Maybe talking about your feelings is actually a good thing…

“Okay. Let’s talk.”

\----  
**Day 5: Hordak**

Entrapta runs around her castle laboratory carrying an assortment of vials containing fresh animal blood. Hordak considers warning her to be careful but knows she’s way too busy right now to focus on her safety.

Entrapta places a drop of one blood onto a microscope tray and inspects it. After recording her inspections, she takes the vial and shoves it toward Hordak with her hair.

“Drink this!”

Hordak takes the vial cautiously, “Can you tell me what it is before I drink it, please?” He and Adora have been working on saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ more often with Perfuma. 

Entrapta explains as she works on the next vial, “It’s cow blood! I checked it to make sure it’s safe, so there’s an eighty-five percent chance you’ll be fine.”

Eighty-five percent? That’s good enough, Hordak supposes. Besides, this is for a good cause.

He drinks the contents of the small vial, expecting it to taste terrible or maybe hurt a little, but nothing happens. In fact, the cow's blood tastes almost exactly like human blood, and he feels fine. If anything, he feels better than usual after drinking human blood. 

Entrapta turns back to him, “So, how do you feel? What did it taste like?”

“I feel… great! The cow blood tastes exactly like human blood, and I feel better than I usually do when I drink human blood.”

“Fascinating…” Entrapta takes out her recorder again and mumbles the recent information into it, but Hordak can’t hear her over his excitement. 

He doesn’t have to drink human blood anymore. He can live without killing. He… He has to tell Adora about this! This is revolutionary! This could change the way the Horde functions forever! They could actually make the Horde good!

Hordak stands up and goes to the door, but a thick strand of Entrapta’s hair stops him.

“Where are you going? The experiment isn’t over yet.”

Hordak turns back to her, “What’s left? We know we can drink animal blood, so let’s go tell Adora.”

“Yes, but just because the cow's blood hasn’t hurt you yet doesn’t mean it won’t later. You have to wait here until your body digests it, then we have to try the other blood samples I have.”

Sighing, Hordak reluctantly moves back into his seat. He knows Entrapta’s right, but that doesn’t make the wait any more unbearable. 

“So, how long will it take for my body to digest the blood?”

Entrapta hums as she considers it, “Hm… around four hours!” Hordak groans at the time he must wait for.

\----  
**Many, Many Hours Later…**

After what felt like an eternity, Entrapta finally went through all her blood samples and recorded all the side effects of each of them. 

Hordak feels like a guinea pig at a laboratory, but he’s just glad it’s over, and that he didn’t get hurt at all during the process. They have their results, and now they know that Horde Prime was indeed lying when he told the Horde that animal blood is toxic to vampires. 

Entrapta grabs a piece of paper from a desk, skimming over it.

“Okay, so we tested cow, chicken, pig, boar, deer, cat, and dog blood. Cow and boar blood have healing properties, chicken and pig blood are the closest to human blood based on taste, cat blood has hallucinatory properties, and dog blood has no benefits to it.”

Hordak grimaces, “Do I even want to know where you found all that animal blood?”

Entrapta looks up at him from the paper, “Oh, I went to animal shelters and farms asking for test samples!”

Hordak sighs in relief, though the thought of Entrapta going around Etheria asking for blood almost makes him laugh. He’s glad nobody had to suffer for this experiment, or lose their life for the sake of curiosity.

“We should go find Adora and tell her the news. Come on, Hordak!” Entrapta practically runs out of the laboratory, eager to show off her victory of an experiment. Hordak follows her with a bright smile on his face.

Maybe there’s hope for them, after all.

\----  
**Day 15: Catra**

She walks down the castle halls confidently, with Melog by her side. Her hair feels so much lighter now that she’s cut it from her mid-back length to a messy pixie cut.

Catra doesn’t know what inspired her to cut her hair. Or to cut it herself without telling her mom. She almost laughs as she remembers the look of horror on her mother’s face when she saw Catra holding a pair of scissors in her washroom, surrounded by her own hair on the floor. That huge mane was unnecessarily difficult to clean, and Catra hates water. Her shower time has nearly been cut in half without the need to wash her hair for as long. 

Today is a relatively uneventful day, with nothing planned for Catra or her parents. Any meetings planned today are already over, seeing as how the sun is setting on the horizon. 

Catra strolls down the halls hoping to go to the rec room or maybe just annoying her parents for the day. As she’s walking down the hall with Melog, Catra sees a figure walking towards her quickly, looking down. Catra pauses.

That person looks familiar…

Blonde hair, red eyes, purple veins covering their arms…

Oh!

Catra considers running, but her feet don’t move an inch from their spot. Melog turns a deep shade of grey to represent her anxiety. The Magicat stays rooted in her spot in the hallway, hoping beyond measure maybe Adora won’t notice her and keep walking. She telepathically begs Melog to make her invisible, but the cat refuses with an annoyed meow. 

Catra looks behind her for something to help her escape and, when she turns back, she finds Melog is not beside her anymore. She calls out to them telepathically. Catra glances back at Adora to see Melog trotting their way over to the vampire happily. Catra groans internally.

Of course, Melog had to take a liking to the one person who choked Catra. All it takes is one nap and now they’re practically best friends. 

Melog pokes their nose on Adora’s stomach to get her attention. Adora stops walking and turns to them. She smiles brightly as she pets them behind their ears, Melog taking it all in like the little attention seeker they are. Catra rolls her eyes at the cat’s little show as Melog leans into Adora’s embrace. 

Adora looks up, likely looking for Melog’s owner, and her eyes quickly land on Catra. The Magicat slowly makes her way over to Adora and Melog.

Once Adora recognizes Catra, the same look of anxiety Catra wore mere seconds ago appears on her face. There’s another emotion underneath the fear, Catra notices, but she can’t pinpoint what it is.

Catra reaches the two of them and, upon closer inspection, can see the light pink dusting Adora’s face. “Hey… Adora.”

The anxiety Adora appeared to have all comes tumbling back now that she’s in front of Catra. She fidgets anxiously with her hands, “Hi, Catra. I-I mean, Princess Catra! I like your- um- your hair. It looks pr-pretty on you.” 

Catra smiles warmly at Adora, which only seems to make Adora more nervous. The blonde vampire’s entire face turns bright red as she stammers more, “I came here to- uhh- I came here to- to-”

Catra interrupts Adora before she embarrasses herself further. “Adora, you need to slow down. Take a deep breath and try again.”

Adora complies with Catra’s request. She tries again after exhaling, “I came here t-to apologize to you.”

Catra’s eyes widen. That was the last thing she was expecting from Adora.

“What?”

“I came here to apologize, so can I? Please?” Adora fidgets with her hands again.

Once the surprise wears off, Catra raises a brow, “What, did you plan a speech, or something?”

Catra was being sarcastic when she said that, laughing, but the humour dies out quickly when Adora nods weakly. 

She planned a speech. To apologize to Catra. For something that happened weeks ago. That Catra had forgotten had happened.

That’s so… cute.

Catra nods, “Okay, you can say your speech.”

Adora stands up taller, perfecting her posture, and clears her throat, “I’m sorry for how I treated you. I was angry, and I took it out on you, but you didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry for hurting you and scaring you. That was unkind of me, and I shouldn’t have done it. I hope you can forgive me, but I understand if you don’t. I’ll leave you alone, if that’s what you want. You’ll never have to see me again.” There’s a sad gleam in her eyes as she says the last sentence, but her voice stays steady. 

Catra places gentle clawed hands on Adora’s shoulders. A red tint returns to Adora’s cheeks at the touch as a surprised look paints her face. 

“I don’t want to never see you again, Adora. I forgive you, okay? If you want, you can stay and hang out with me.”

The surprise on Adora’s face morphs into hope. “You… forgive me?”

Catra nods.

“And… you want me to stay?”

With a small laugh, Catra nods again. 

“Why?” Adora’s voice shakes slightly as she stands in front of Catra. She wraps her arms around her waist and looks down at the floor.

Catra’s smile turns sad at the question. It breaks her heart to think of how little Adora thinks of herself, even if she only met Adora a few weeks ago. She’s reminded of a story her mother told her when she was younger.

Most children are told stories of the heartless vampires who ravage Etheria and are nothing but cruel, but not Catra. When Catra was just over seven years old, Queen Cyra told her the story of the lonely vampire.

The story goes that there was once a vampire who just wanted a friend, a family, anyone who would care for them. They searched all of Etheria for anyone to love them, but found only pitchforks and torches held by angry humans. Eventually, they gave up their search for a friend and hid alone in their cave, destined to a life of misery. The heartbreak and loneliness was too much for their old heart, and they didn’t know what to do other than hide and hurt. One day, a princess from a nearby kingdom wandered into the vampire’s lonesome cave and found the vampire. At first, the vampire tried to hurt the princess, but the princess didn’t attack them. Instead, the princess saw how the vampire only wanted a friend and smiled at them. She befriended the vampire and gave them a hug, their first hug in years. The princess’ kindness softened the vampire’s old heart enough for the curse of his vampiric nature to be cured. 

Obviously, Catra knows Adora will never be human again, but maybe she can help soften Adora’s heart. Adora is trying to be better, so maybe Catra can help her.

Catra brings a hand up from Adora’s shoulder to place it on her cheek. Instinctively, Adora leans into the touch. Catra still has the same sad smile on her face, “Because… you’re trying to be good, and I know you won’t do anything like that again.”

Adora’s eyes gloss over as a single tear trails down her face. Catra’s quick to catch the stray tear with her thumb, though. 

“But I’m a m-monster. You shouldn’t forgive me.”

“I don’t think you’re a monster, Adora. I think you’re just someone who’s been a little too lonely for far too long.”

Adora closes her eyes as more tears spill out, with Catra rubbing them away. Adora pulls Catra into a light hug, loose enough that Catra could escape if she wants to.

But Catra doesn’t leave. She hugs Adora back with the same kindness.

Catra hears Adora’s shaky voice behind her, “So… Can we be friends?”

Catra laughs, “Of course we can be friends, Adora.”

At that, Adora practically sags with relief.

“Okay, that’s good.”

\----  
**Day 30: Hordak**

There’s a light knock on the tiny window in his bedroom.

Hordak had already been awake, so he’s able to hear it. He walks up to the high window and opens it to see Adora kneeling down on the floor to peek in. 

“What are you doing here, Adora?”

Upon closer inspection, Hordak can see that Adora’s shivering from the cold. It’s getting colder as they approach winter, but at least it isn’t snowing. 

“Shadow Weaver kicked me out for the night because I refused to help her with a spying spell. Can I stay here?”

Hordak sighs and helps Adora in. Since Horde Prime let her in once, Hordak doesn’t have to allow her to come in anymore. 

Once Adora’s inside, Hordak leaves the room and goes to his sanctum. He hears the light sounds of Adora’s footsteps behind him, so he keeps walking down the short hallway until he reaches the lab. 

He turns to Adora, “There’s a couch in the corner of my sanctum. If you look under the couch, you should find a blanket and pillow.”

Adora smiles gratefully, “Thank you. Goodnight, Hordak.”

Hordak pats her on the shoulder lightly, “Goodnight, Adora.”

He turns around as the lab door opens and walks back to his small bedroom. There are other rooms upstairs, but the other clones sleep there. The normal clones. The ones who aren’t defective and useless.

Quickly after his head reaches his pillow again, Hordak falls asleep. 

\----

His slumber doesn’t last long before he’s awoken by faint screaming. 

Hordak shoots up and waits for another sound, hoping beyond everything that he just imagined the sound of screaming in his own house. 

No other screams follow, but Hordak can just about hear someone sobbing loudly and gasping for breath. He’d recognize that voice from anywhere.

He jumps out of bed and, after turning on the light in the corridor, hurries to his sanctum. The sound of crying and laboured breathing is much more apparent here, confirming what Hordak already knew. 

The automatic door swooshes open and, even in the dim lighting, Hordak can see Adora sitting curled up in a ball on the couch, shaking as she looks down at her own hands. He hurries to her side.

“Adora?” He keeps his voice as quiet as he can muster to not scare Adora in her vulnerable state.

Despite his whisper, Adora still jumps at his voice. Her eyes are wide and panicked as they flicker from Hordak to her hands. More sobs come out of her, and her breathing quickens somehow. Adora looks back down at her hands in fear, repeating ‘no’ under her breath repeatedly as she focuses on them.

Hordak sits beside her, “Adora, look at me.”

Adora doesn’t look at him, still too focused on her shaking hands, “D-Do you see it?” Hordak has never heard Adora sound so scared.

“See what?”

“The blo-blood. It’s- There’s blood on my hands.”

Hordak quickly stands up and turns the lamp on Adora’s side of the couch on. Adora flinches at the sudden bright light as Hordak goes and sits back down. He grabs the underside of Adora’s hands lightly so she can see her clean palms. 

“See? There’s no blood, Adora.”

Adora stares at their hands for a long time as tears pour out of her eyes again. Her breathing is still quick from her panic attack, but at least she isn’t hyperventilating anymore. She looks up at Hordak with tears still coming out. The look she gives Hordak breaks his heart.

“There’s nothing there?”

“No, there isn’t. You were just imagining it.”

She nods, thinking through that piece of information. “Okay…”

Hordak sets Adora’s hands down onto the couch but still keeps his gentle hold on them. The touch seems to ground her to the present. 

“Come on, take a deep breath with me. It’ll help, I promise.” The two vampires go through deep breaths, just like Perfuma taught them. Adora’s are shaky in the beginning, but gradually smoothen out as they keep going. 

Eventually, they stop taking deep breaths and sit in silence. Hordak lets go of Adora’s hands to give her space. Sometimes, when Adora has a panic attack, she and Hordak will talk about what’s bothering her, and sometimes they’ll just sit in complete silence together without moving. Today seems like it’s going to be the latter.

Adora leans her head on Hordak’s shoulder after a while of them sitting in silence. Hordak smiles down at her and wraps an arm around her still shaking shoulders.

He’s grateful to have a friend like Adora in his life. They’ve known each other for so long, and they both always help each other. Despite how much Adora will annoy him sometimes, he still cares about her so much. 

Hordak’s never had a family, but he imagines Adora is the closest thing to a family he’ll ever have. Hordak looks out for Adora and makes sure she’s okay, and Adora brightens Hordak’s life with her jokes and antics. Without Adora, Hordak would likely still be a lifeless servant to Horde Prime. Without Hordak, Adora would probably be dead by now.

Hordak expects Adora to be asleep until he hears her hoarse and weak voice from beside him, “Do you… Do you think we’ll ever be good people?”

“I think we’ll try our best with the lives we’ve been given, and we’ll see how far we go.”

Adora pauses before asking, “Do you think Etherians will ever not hate us?”

Hordak sighs. That’s a much harder question to answer.

“I don’t know, Adora. They’re fools to not see you as anything other than amazing, though.” He keeps his tone joking, so Adora doesn’t notice the fact that Hordak didn’t actually answer her question.

Adora laughs at that. Hordak smiles, glad he could make Adora laugh after what happened.

“Even if all of Etheria hates us, Hordak, I’ll stay by your side, no matter what.”

Hordak leans his head on Adora’s, “Thank you, Adora. You already know I’ll always be by your side, I don’t have to tell you.”

Adora giggles quietly beside him, “Adora and Hordak, besties forever."

Hordak takes his head off Adora's, “Nope, you ruined it.”

Adora laughs loudly as Hordak pouts, “Oh, come on, Hordak! Admit it, we’re best friends.”

“No, we are not. Friends, yes, but _best_ friends? Absolutely not.”

He’s lying, but Adora already knows that. 

They’re best friends, and they both know it. They have for decades.  
\----  
**Day 60: Adora**

The front door closes behind her as she walks into Shadow Weaver’s house. 

She’d spent the entire day with Catra, going around Halfmoon and laughing every step of the way. Adora’s never met someone quite like Catra, someone so fun, yet so kind. Her laugh and her smile have a way of igniting something deep in Adora that she’d thought had died by now. She just can’t for the life of her remember what that feeling is. 

Despite being in a good mood today, Adora keeps her face stoic and angry. Shadow Weaver can’t know where she was. Her excuse this time was that she was going to kill a human in Brightmoon. When Shadow Weaver asked why she was going so far just to kill one human, Adora claimed Brightmoon blood tastes better than other human blood. Shadow Weaver shrugged it off as regular Adora weirdness and let it slide.

Adora’s excuses won’t always work, though, and she’s terrified for the day they don’t. Shadow Weaver hasn’t asked her to kill anyone in front of her yet, but it’s only inevitable. It’s only inevitable until Shadow Weaver asks her to kill a human who’s wronged the sorceress in front of her. There’s no getting out of that one. 

The blonde makes her way to the front of the staircase and her foot is about to contact the first stair when a voice booms from the basement. 

“Adora! Get down here, now!”

Dread fills every part of Adora as she pauses. Did Shadow Weaver already figure it out? Is this the day Adora will kill her? She grips her sword tightly as she turns and walks down the stairs to the basement instead.

As soon as she makes it to Shadow Weaver’s spell room, she finally understands why Shadow Weaver called her down.

There’s a woman with black hair in a tight bun wearing purple robes sitting on the floor, tied to the floor and gagged. Two chunks of hair are separated from the bun and hang in front of her face, and there’s a gold circular crown atop her head with a star in the middle. She’s trying to say something through the fabric covering her mouth, but it comes out as incoherent mumbling. 

Shadow Weaver sighs, “This sorceress has been causing a lot of trouble for me. Kill her, Adora.” Her voice is filled with disgust as she looks down on the black-haired woman.

Adora gulps. This is exactly what she didn’t want to happen. She doesn’t want to kill the sorceress. She doesn’t want to kill anyone ever again. She won’t. 

She forces herself to keep a neutral face as she pulls her sword out from its sheath. Adora comes up with a good enough excuse in the few seconds it took to take out her sword, and turns to Shadow Weaver, “You should go, unless you want to get blood all over your clothes.”

Shadow Weaver glances between Adora and the sorceress before sighing, “That _does_ seem rather annoying. Fine, I’ll wait upstairs. There’s a bucket and mop in the corner, clean up the mess after you’re done.” She points to the old rusty bucket and falling apart mop in the room's corner. She leaves the room quickly, her cape flowing behind her dramatically.

Adora turns her focus back onto the sorceress below her, waiting for Shadow Weaver’s receding footsteps to disappear. She grips her sword tightly in her hand as she lifts it up to the woman who flinches slightly and… cuts the rope bounding her to the floor.

The woman’s eyes widen at the sight, fully expecting Adora to kill her. Adora crouches down and unties the piece of fabric tied to her mouth. Once the woman’s mouth is uncovered, Adora stands and extends a hand to the sorceress. 

“Wha-What are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I’m helping you. Now, get up before Shadow Weaver comes back.”

The black-haired woman grabs Adora’s hand and lets her hoist her up. She wipes her dark purple robes, her magenta cape flowing behind her. The woman looks back up at Adora as a lightbulb goes off in her head, “Oh! You’re Shadow Weaver’s pupil, right?”

Adora scoffs, “You know Shadow Weaver, does she seem like the teaching type?”

The woman grins, “Yes, she’s never been very good at that. So, why are you staying with Shadow Weaver, then?”

“You think I have a _choice_?”

That silences the woman quickly. Adora turns to peek outside the door but doesn’t see any sign of the dark sorceress. She tries to think of a plan to get the sorceress out of here without Shadow Weaver noticing. 

As she’s thinking, she remembers one key part of the basement that Shadow Weaver’s likely forgotten about by now. 

Adora turns back to the sorceress, “Follow me, I’ll get you out of here.”

The woman complies wordlessly as Adora leads them outside the spell room. They both stay quiet, hoping Shadow Weaver won’t hear their walking. Instead of walking to the stairs leading upstairs, Adora turns to go down a small corridor that leads to a different door with a large latch on it.

Adora pulls the latch open and cold mists of air immediately flow out of the room. Adora hears the sorceress’ voice from behind her, “What is that room?”

“It’s the cold room. It’s basically a giant fridge. Houses don’t have them anymore, but this place is centuries old. There’s a staircase that leads outside in here.”

Adora tries not to shiver at the freezing temperatures of the room as she walks in. She hears the clacking sound of the sorceress’s heels on the floor behind her, showing that she’s following Adora.

She turns to another door with a large lock on it. Adora unlocks the old rusty door and pulls it open to reveal a set of stairs. The sun peeks through the old cellar door at the top of the stairs. Adora goes up the stairs and unlocks the last lock standing in the way of the sorceress’s freedom.

Adora pushes the doors open to reveal the bright blue sky above them and the sun shining down on them. Adora steps out of the cellar and onto the dying grass of the lawn. The black-haired woman follows soon after. 

The sorceress sends a grateful look to Adora, “My name is Castaspella. Thank you for helping me.” She outstretches a hand to Adora. The blonde's eyes widen. She remembers Castaspella from when she used to live in Mystacor with Shadow Weaver, Light Spinner at the time, before she joined the Horde. Adora's surprised it took hearing the sorceress' name to remember her from all those years ago.

Adora shakes her hand with a disheartened smile, “I’m Adora Grayskull. If you keep walking north, you’ll reach a street that leads to a shop a few minutes away. You can probably get back to wherever you came from through there. Don’t tell anyone I helped you and don’t let Shadow Weaver find out you’re alive or she'll ill kill me.”

Castaspella looks surprised, too, "Oh! You used to live in Mystacor, right? I remember you when I was a child! You were always so nice to me, I always wished you could've stayed after Shadow Weaver left. Don't worry, we'll keep this between us. Shadow Weaver won't find out about this." 

Adora nods, nervous, "I'm glad you remember me, you were always a sweet kid. I hope you're right about her not finding out." It’s nearly impossible to keep things from Shadow Weaver, though. She fidgets with her hands. 

The black-haired woman grabs Adora’s hands. Adora looks up at Castaspella to see her looking down at her with a sweet smile. It reminds Adora so much of her mother, she can’t help the way her vision clouds with tears. She feels so childlike, crying in front of this stranger. It's even stranger given the fact that the last time Adora saw Castaspella, the black-haired woman was a child.

“If you ever need somewhere to go, Mystacor will have its doors open for you, alright? Just because Shadow Weaver was exiled doesn't mean you were, too.”

Adora nods as the tears finally slide down her face. Castaspella pulls Adora into a tight hug, which Adora reciprocates immediately. Adora closes her eyes and pretends she’s hugging her mom as more tears slide out. Castaspella gently strokes the top of Adora’s head, which only makes Adora feel like she’s hugging her mother more. When was the last time she got a hug like this?

“I wish there was more I could do for you, Adora.”

They pull apart as Adora sniffles and wipes her eyes, “It’s okay. There’s nothing you can do. Now, go before Shadow Weaver gets suspicious.”

Castaspella nods with a sigh and turns to leave. Adora turns in the opposite direction to go down the cellar again. As her foot touches the first step, she hears Castaspella’s voice behind her.

“Goodbye, Adora.”

Adora turns to look at Castaspella with a weak smile, “Goodbye.”

She shuts the cellar door behind her and descends back into her house. 

Back into her cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Shadow Weaver was none the wiser... 
> 
> Yay! Vulnerability! Kindness! Friendship! Family! We're just covering all the bases today, huh.
> 
> A little more info on their lessons (which aren't really lessons):  
> \- Perfuma does meditation with them to help them process their emotions, especially their guilt.  
> \- Glimmer helps them volunteer at local villages to help families who need it. They both have to hide their fangs, eyes, and scars.  
> \- Scorpia helps them with the friendship portion of being good people. Mostly just how to talk to people, and helping them build social skills.  
> \- Catra doesn't really help Hordak, but she does help Adora indirectly. While she doesn't technically teach her like the other princesses, just being with Catra makes Adora want to be a good person.  
> \- Catra and Adora become good friends quickly after Catra forgives her. They hang out as often as they can, and really enjoy their company.
> 
> Also, Adora and Catra have last names (Grayskull and Driluth) but nobody else in this AU does. Only people from a strong family lineage, like some royalty (in Catra's case) or famous vampire hunters (in Adora's case). Kind of like how in ATLA, Toph has a last name but nobody else in the show has a last name.
> 
> Ok, bye-bye!


	11. i wanna fight (but my hand’s been broken, one too many times)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora and Angella talk, which leads to a shocking realization.
> 
> Catra, Bow, and Adora go on a little trip.
> 
> Adora sees an old friend again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Super sorry for not posting last week, but to make up for it here's a 7k-word chapter! There are not one, but two major plot points in this! I'm super excited for you guys to read this. 
> 
> Fair warning, the last portion of this chapter is pretty violent, so read with caution.
> 
> I hope you guys like this chapter because I love it!! If you do like it, I would love it if you left a kudo and/or a comment! They are both so so appreciated and I love reading all the comments and responding to each one.
> 
> Ok, bye-bye!
> 
> TW: blood, violence, choking, electrocution, torture, stabbing, suicidal thoughts

\----  
**Adora**

Glimmer and Bow lead her down the large halls of Brightmoon.

“Come on, Adora! We still haven’t shown you the dining room, yet!”

Adora groans, “What’s the point, though. I can’t even eat food!”

Glimmer turns around and drags Adora down the hall faster by the hand, “We’re giving you a tour of Brightmoon Palace, and that includes the dining room.”

Adora chuckles at Glimmer’s determination, “Fine.”

The dining room is exactly what she expects it to be. An ornate table surrounded by tall chairs, a large cabinet likely filled with cutlery and fancy plates, and vast windows that overlook a beautiful view of the Whispering Woods. 

The three don’t stay there for long, given Adora’s revulsion for food. Bow showed Adora a perfectly cut piece of cake he got from the kitchen and, while it was a pretty cake, Adora felt disgusted at the thought of putting it in her mouth.

To be fair, Adora _did_ love food… when she was human. She would eat practically anything given to her by the Eternian chefs with excitement. Her twin brother, Adam, often made fun of her for her enormous appetite. Now, after five hundred years of never eating, Adora can’t fathom actually putting food into her mouth and chewing it. She’d probably throw up, if she’s being honest. Blood tastes way better, anyway.

As the three friends are leaving the dining room, something beeps loudly in Bow's direction. The dark-skinned boy takes out his tablet and sighs. Glimmer and Adora turn to him, stopping in their tracks.

“I have to go help my dads organize the library. Sorry, guys!” 

Glimmer smiles, “Don’t worry, Bow. We’ll just hang out another time, okay?”

Bow grins back at her. Adora feels like she’s intruding on something personal. “Yeah! You’re right, we can just schedule another _Best Friend Squad_ hangout. Next time, we'll invite Catra!” He looks excitedly between Glimmer and Adora for their reaction to the group name.

Adora laughs, too, “Totally, but we’re not calling ourselves that.”

Glimmer crosses her arms, "Yeah, let’s call ourselves the Glimmer group.” 

Bow shakes his head as he walks backwards, “Nope, we’re the Best Friend Squad. Bye, guys.”

Adora and Glimmer laugh and wave as Bow leaves.

“Bye, Bow!”

“See you later!”

Once Bow turns left down another corridor, Glimmer turns to Adora.

“So, what do you want to do, now?”

Adora tries to think of something, anything, for them to do, but comes up blank. It’s already late outside since Adora only got to Brightmoon around an hour ago. Shadow Weaver got suspicious of her again, so Adora helped her with some spells to put her in a better mood, then came up with yet another excuse. Adora doubts that she’ll have enough excuses to last much longer. 

The blonde hums, “I don’t know. Whatever you want to do, I guess.”

Glimmer smiles brightly, “I know what we can do! Let’s have a sleepover. I haven’t shown you my room, yet. Come on!” She grabs Adora’s hand again and drags her back down the hallway. 

Adora is about to tell Glimmer how impossible that is but pauses when she remembers what Shadow Weaver told her while Adora helped her with a spell earlier. 

_“I must visit the other kingdoms for some meetings tomorrow, and I’ll stay there for two nights and three days. You are not to leave this house at all until I get back.”_

Adora grins as she’s dragged down the halls. She hasn’t had a sleepover since she was a teenager, and that was centuries ago. She’ll finally have fun without the worry of Shadow Weaver finding out looming over her.

As they’re running down the halls of Brightmoon, laughing, they bump into something and both coming to an abrupt stop. Adora looks up to see none other than Queen Angella looking stoically at the wall, undeterred by the two girls bumping into her. Her eyes are slightly red and puffy, and Adora can immediately tell she’s been crying. 

The blonde looks anxiously to Glimmer, who has a look of concern on her face as she faces her mother. Adora looks to the wall Angella is looking at to see a large mural of a bearded man holding an intricate staff, with angry vampires about to attack surrounding him. The man looks familiar to Adora, but she can’t figure out where she remembers him from.

Glimmer looks between the mural and her mother with a look of grief. Adora’s been around long enough to know a grieving person when she sees one. 

Angella doesn’t turn as she speaks to the two girls, “Glimmer, may you go for a moment so I can speak with Adora, please?” Her voice is emotionless, despite her obvious crying.

Glimmer sends a comforting glance to Adora before walking down the corridor wordlessly. Adora gulps, nervous, as she looks up at the Queen of Brightmoon. 

Instead of continuing to stare, Adora turns, so she’s looking at the mural with Angella. Neither of them speaks, but Angella eventually breaks the silence.

“That is my husband, King Micah. He was killed… by one of your kind when Glimmer was just a baby.”

Guilt seeps into Adora, despite her not being the one who killed him. She looks down at the ground, unable to look at Micah’s face anymore. Adora knows the grief of losing a parent, and she wouldn’t wish it on her worst enemy. She especially wouldn’t wish it on someone as kind as Glimmer.

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

“Are you apologizing for the actions of my husband’s killer or your own?”

Adora doesn’t look up, despite feeling Angella’s eyes on her.

“Both.”

Angella’s voice takes on a stricter tone, “If you really are sorry, you will not hurt or kill anyone ever again. Prove to me you will change.”

Although she doesn’t want to, Adora looks up at Angella. Her gaze is fierce and stern, but there’s the tiniest sliver of trust in those pale purple eyes. “I will, I promise you. I want to prove to you that the Horde can be good.”

Angella doesn’t seem too thrilled at the idea of the Fright Zone actually being a good kingdom, but the tiny piece of trust in her eyes grows. The Queen nods, “Alright. We’ll see about that, Adora. You may go, now.”

Adora bows, for some odd reason, and hastily makes her way down the hallway Glimmer went down earlier. As she’s desperately looking for a door that looks like it could be the door to Glimmer’s bedroom, the door beside her opens and a hand pulls her in.

Glimmer looks concerned as she lets go of Adora’s hand, “What happened? Sorry about my mom, she can be a little intimidating sometimes.”

 _That_ is the understatement of the century.

Adora shrugs, “We just talked, Glimmer. You don’t have to worry.” 

Glimmer sees right through her as she levels her with an incredulous look. Maybe Adora’s not as good of a liar as she previously thought…

“What did you talk about?”

“I- uh- you- it’s not important.” 

Glimmer narrows her eyes. Intimidation must run in the family, or something.

Adora sighs in defeat, “We talked about… your dad.”

A long silence passes.

“Oh.” 

Glimmer’s eyes are slightly glossed over, and Adora moves to place a gentle hand on her shoulder. The princess turns around and sits down in a plush seat behind her before Adora’s hand can reach her. Adora goes and sits in the chair beside Glimmer’s. 

Adora sits with perfect posture and her hands wrapped around her waist, “I’m sorry, Glimmer. I didn’t know about what happened to you dad.”

Glimmer sighs as she looks down at the floor, “It’s okay, there’s no way you could’ve known. I don’t talk about it with the princesses since, you know, they wouldn’t really understand. All of their parents are alive and it wouldn’t be fair of me to talk about my dead dad.” Adora winces at the blunt statement.

Adora places a hand on Glimmer’s shoulder, and this time Glimmer doesn’t move.

“I would understand.”

Glimmer’s head shoots up to look at Adora in confusion, “What?”

Adora chuckles, but there isn’t much humour in it, “What, did you think vampires don’t have families? I used to have parents, too.”

“Used to?” Curiosity leaks into her face.

It’s then that Adora remembers that Glimmer never heard Adora say what happened to her parents when she told the other princesses. Adora takes her hand off Glimmer’s shoulder but keeps eye contact with her.

“Yes, used to. Shadow Weaver killed them in front of me before she killed me.” This time, it’s Glimmer that winces at the bluntness of Adora’s statement. Glimmer continues looking at Adora with a sense of sympathy in her eyes.

“I’m so sorry that happened to you, Adora. I didn’t think Shadow Weaver was that horrible when I met her.”

Adora laughs louder at that, “Yeah, manipulation and lying are kind of her thing.”

Glimmer laughs weakly, but looks down again, “You know, my dad was killed by a vampire, too. They came into the palace and attacked him, unprovoked. We still don’t know why they did it.”

That makes Adora pause. That makes no sense, though. Unless… 

“Glimmer, was your father a sorcerer, by any chance?” 

“Wh- How do you know that?”

“Was he?”

“Yes, he was. One of the best in Etheria.”

It can’t be… 

“And do you know how he was killed, exactly?”

Glimmer’s eyes gloss over again, and Adora feels guilty for causing her pain, but she has to know, “Why do you want to know?”

“Because I don’t think your father was killed.”

\----  
**The Next Day…**

Adora and Glimmer stand beside each other in front of the meeting table, which is illuminated by the glow of a hologram of Etheria. The red dots showing any vampire kills are on the map, and Adora can now see the single red dot in Brightmoon's palace.

Angella looks down at the dot mournfully, before turning her gaze to Glimmer, “What is the meaning of this meeting, Glimmer?”

Glimmer turns to Adora, “Tell her what you told me.” Angella turns to look at Adora expectantly.

Adora clears her throat. “Well, um, you mentioned yesterday that a vampire killed your husband, King Micah, in this very palace,” Angella narrows her eyes at Adora, warning her not to say anything she’ll regret. “When you showed me his mural, I recognized Micah, but I couldn’t remember from where until Glimmer told me he was a sorcerer. I recognized Micah because I’ve met him before, when he was just a kid.”

Angella’s eyes widen, “You met Micah when he was a child? But how?”

“Before Shadow Weaver was exiled for using dark magic, I used to live with her in Mystacor. Her name wasn’t Shadow Weaver then, though. It was Light Spinner. One day, while we were living there, Shadow Weaver told me about this young boy who had ‘high potential.’ She told me she was teaching the boy magic, and that his magic was incredibly powerful. Micah was always such a fun kid, though. Whenever I would talk to him, he would always either want to show me his new spells or ask me to prank the other sorcerers with him.”

Angella smiles warmly at Adora's depiction of her husband as a child. Adora realizes this is the first time she's seen the Queen smile since she first visited Brightmoon.

“That’s when the incident happened, the one that scarred Shadow Weaver’s face. She and Micah were trying to use a powerful dark magic spell, but Micah left at the last second and all the dark magic went into Shadow Weaver.” Adora suppresses a shudder at the thought that she would have looked like Shadow Weaver if she had been hit with just a little more dark magic.

“After that, the Sorcerer’s Guild banned shadow Weaver from Mystacor and we left to go join the Horde, but she’d still talk about how powerful Micah was, and she was always angry at Micah for ‘ruining her life.’ I think that Shadow Weaver was the one that you think killed Micah.”

Angella processes everything just said to her to the best of her ability. It is a lot to take in at once. Eventually, the Queen regains the ability to speak.

“But I thought you said that you didn’t think she killed Micah.”

Adora nods, “Yes, I don’t think he was. Shadow Weaver was the only person who would want to get rid of Micah, as an act of revenge, but I don’t think she would kill him. Shadow Weaver is obsessed with power, and I don’t think she would just throw away all that, how'd did she put it, _magical potential_ just like that.”

“Alright, so what do you think she did to him?”

“Shadow Weaver would most likely take Micah to a place where nobody could find him, and somewhere she thought he could survive. The only place I can think of is Beast Island, a small island off the coast of the Fright Zone. It used to be an old garbage disposal for Eternia’s wasted technology, but Horde Prime started sending prisoners there to make them suffer longer.”

Angella sits down as her hardened stare shifts from the red dot in Brightmoon to the small island beside the Fright Zone. 

Angella sighs, “And you think he could have survived there for over eighteen years?”

Adora nods, “I saw Micah’s abilities, and I think he definitely could’ve.”

The Brightmoon Queen places her head in her hands. Her hands muffle her voice, “My husband could still be alive.” Her shoulders shake, and it’s obvious that she’s crying. 

Glimmer quickly stands up in her chair to comfort her mother, and it’s then that Adora realizes Glimmer’s crying, too. Adora, not knowing what to do, starts to slowly back away from the mother and daughter.

Angella looks up at Adora with a teary smile, “Thank you, Adora, for giving us a little hope.”

Adora nods and smiles weakly back. She leaves the room in silence.

\----  
**The Next Day…**

Adora, Catra, and Bow aboard Sea Hawk’s ship.

“Welcome aboard, crewmates! Are you prepared for the harrowing journey we are about to take?” Sea Hawk yells from the front of the ship.

Catra groans, “Are you going to be _this_ loud for the entire ride?”

Sea Hawk gives her a thumbs up, “Absolutely!”

Adora laughs as she pats Catra’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, Catra, I’ll keep you company. It’ll be fun!”

Angella’s voice boom from the dock in Halfmoon, where Sea Hawk’s boat has been docked and ready to go, “BE CAREFUL, YOU THREE! MAKE SURE YOU STAY SAFE, AND GOOD LUCK!” Behind her, Queen Cyra stands worriedly as she watches her daughter on the boat. She calls out, "DON'T GO RUNNING INTO DANGER, OKAY, CATRA? YOU'RE GROUNDED IF YOU DO. I LOVE YOU!"

Catra rolls her eyes, "I won't, Mom! Love you, too, and don't worry so much!"

Adora, Bow, and Catra look down at them from the ship. Angella stands expectantly for them to answer her. They all yell down simultaneously, “We will, Angella. Thank you!” It’s almost instinctual now, responding to Angella’s worry for this trip. The woman has done practically everything she can to ensure everything goes to plan. 

Glimmer stands beside her mother, worried and a little angry. Angella refused to allow Glimmer to go to Beast Island to keep her safe, so the princess has been angry about it all day. Adora tried to reassure her that the trip probably won’t be too exciting if all goes well, but the sparkly girl refused to listen.

The four friends set sail quickly, heading for the small island off the coast of the Fright Zone. The ride there isn’t very interesting. They occupy the time with arm wrestling (which Adora always wins), listening to Sea Hawk’s stories of the sea, and comforting Catra as she deals with seasickness; though, Adora’s usually the one to comfort Catra when she looks like she’s about to vomit.

Catra leans on the edge of the ship, looking down at the dark seawater in disgust with her arms hanging off the edge. Adora walks over to stand beside her. 

“You doing okay, Catra?”

The Magicat turns to glare at Adora, “Yes, I’m actually doing great right now, Adora. Thank you so much for asking.”

Adora laughs as she pats Catra on the back, “Don’t worry, Catra. We’ll reach the island soon, then you can cool it with the sarcasm.”

Catra sighs as she leans down to rest her face on the side of the ship, “Sorry. I just really don’t like boats.”

Adora rubs her hand up and down Catra’s back soothingly, “It’s fine, don’t worry. My brother used to hate going on boats, too, and he used a lot more sarcasm than you. I'm used to this by now.”

It still surprises Adora that she can mention her family with Catra so nonchalantly and not worry about her pitying the blonde. Catra is so… casual about everything, Adora’s never met anyone like her.

“Well, at least you have some experience dealing with sea-sick people.”

Adora grins, “Hey, that’s the spirit! Now, do you want to watch me beat Sea Hawk at an arm-wrestling match?”

Despite her sickly state, Catra smirks, “I bet _I_ could beat you at an arm-wrestling match easily.”

“Oh, really?”

Catra’s tail lashes slowly behind her, “Absolutely.”

Adora smirks, “Well, in that case, let’s go, Princess.” The blonde leads Catra to a table and they fight. Bow cheers for Adora, while Sea Hawk cheers for Catra. 

Catra is obviously struggling to keep her arm upright as Adora uses most of her strength. Adora smirks, knowing she’s already won this game.

When Catra’s arm is almost horizontal, Catra smiles smugly at Adora, “Hey, Adora.” Adora looks up at her. Catra moves forward and presses a kiss to Adora’s cheek. Instantly, Adora’s arm loses all its strength and Catra pushes Adora’s arm flat. 

Sea Hawk cheers, while Bow yells that Catra cheated. Adora’s shocked face resembles a tomato as Catra smirks. To be fair, Catra’s blushing, too, but it’s not as noticeable under the thin fur on her face.

Did that really just happen?

\----

Adora, Bow, and Catra navigate through the vines of Beast Island, avoiding the broken machinery. Walking through Beast Island feels like walking down memory lane for Adora, who recognizes most of the thrown-out technology on the island from her old life in Eternia.

They haven’t run into any problems yet and have spoken little throughout the walk. Adora’s about to mention how easy this is when they hear rustling in the bushes in front of them. 

All three of them stop, not daring to move a muscle. Through the shadows of the bush, two glowing yellow eyes appear. Then another pair. Then another pair. The amount of eyes keeps growing until the three feel like they’re surrounded by these animals.

“Run,” Catra whispers. They all run in the only direction that doesn’t have any eyes in it. The sound of tiny little feet running and angry and angry screeches are heard behind them as they sprint to safety. The little animals are faster than them, though, and they’re quickly surrounded again.

Adora takes out her sword, Bow takes out his bow and an arrow, and Catra unsheathes her claws. Before the three can begin fighting the small monkey-like animals, a bright purple light explodes in front of them and several of the animals go flying, many others running away in fear.

The light dissipates to reveal a man with shoulder-length salt-and-pepper hair and a beard. The man isn’t wearing a shirt but has a ripped piece of fabric that he’s fashioned as a skirt. He’s holding a dark purple stick with light purple spheres stuck to it and is attacking the animals with it. 

The group takes that as their cue to fight alongside him against the small, but angry, monkeys. It doesn’t take long for them all to have either died or run away in fear. The four stand alone, panting, as they look around for more. Once they see no more of the animals, the man stands up straight and smiles at the three people in front of him.

“Hello, there! I’m Micah.”

Bow gapes, “ _You’re_ King Micah of Brightmoon?!” It’s hard to recognize the man in front of them as the fancy mural in Brightmoon.

Micah drops his smile, “You recognize me?”

Adora crosses her arms, “Well, the entire reason we’re here is to find you.”

Micah turns to her and gasps. He walks over to her and pulls her into a tight hug, lifting her feet off the floor, “Adora, it's so great to see you again!” Adora laughs, but it almost sounds like a wheeze given how tightly Micah is hugging her.

Catra raises a brow, "You two know each other?"

Micah puts Adora back down on the dirt underneath her, turning his head to a very surprised Catra and Bow, "Adora used to live in Mystacor with Light Spinner, her guardian. Light Spinner used to teach me sorcery, and Adora used to watch over me while I practiced my spells to make sure I didn't accidentally break something. She left after Light Spinner was exiled from Mystacor, though, and I always missed seeing her around."

Adora smiles, “You remember me?”

A matching smile falls on his face as he turns back to her, “Of course! All Light Spinner used to talk about was my power and abilities, but you were always so kind to me. You haven’t aged one bit!” Catra and Bow raise a brow at the last sentence, but both Adora and Micah laugh loudly.

“Well, I _am_ immortal, Micah. Not ageing is kind of the whole point.” Micah is probably the only human on Etheria who can understand what immortality is like, given the fact that his wife is immortal. 

Micah is about to say something else when Catra cuts him off, “I know you guys are having your little reunion moment, but we should really get back to the ship before Sea Hawk burns it down.” 

Micah turns to Catra and raises his eyebrows again, “I recognize you, too. You’re Princess Catra of Halfmoon! The last time I saw you, you were just a baby.” His brows furrow as his sentence trails off. Adora already knows what puzzle pieces he’s trying to piece together in his head, and sighs, “King Micah, we should really go-” Micah interrupts her as he connects the dots in his head.

“If you’ve grown up since I last saw you, and you and my Glimmer are around the same age… then that means I missed Glimmer’s entire childhood. I thought I was only gone for a couple of years…” His eyes are widened as he takes in that fact, tears forming in his eyes.

Bow moves to place a hand on Micah’s arm, “You might have missed out on Glimmer’s childhood, but your daughter’s at home, right now, waiting to find out whether you’re alive. So, why don’t we go tell her the good news, okay? Just because you weren’t there for her before doesn’t mean you can’t be now.”

Micah nods and wipes his eyes, sniffling, “Yes, I want to be a part of my daughter’s life now.”

With that, the group makes their way back through the thick forest of broken machines and tall trees. Adora trails back from the three, looking down as she walks.

Catra moves to stand beside her, “Hey, you okay?”

Adora looks up at her with a nod, “Yeah, it’s just… I always used to feel bad for Micah when he was a kid. Shadow Weaver put so much pressure on him to be this perfect and powerful sorcerer, and all Micah wanted to do was be a regular kid. He deserved to have fun and live his life, not be manipulated for his power by Shadow Weaver.”

Catra smiles sweetly, “That sounds a lot like someone else I know.”

“What?” Her brows furrow in confusion.

“Micah didn’t deserve to be manipulated by Shadow Weaver, and neither do you. Both of you deserved to live your lives, without that bitch annoying you.”

Adora laughs at Catra’s colourful description of her mentor, “You really think so?”

Catra shoves Adora’s shoulder with her own, “I know so, dummy.”

\----  
**One Week Later…**

Adora stands beside Catra at the welcoming festival for King Micah.

Catra turns back to Adora and smiles warmly at her. Adora feels star-struck as she looks at the Magicat.

There are warm lights behind her, illuminating her short mane and mismatched eyes Adora could get lost in. From this close, Adora can count the freckles dotting Catra’s nose. Her smile warms Adora’s icy heart, and the vampire smiles back at the princess.

Adora’s not sure when her feelings for Catra began, because even she can admit at this point that she has feelings for Catra. 

Maybe it’s because Catra doesn’t see her as a monster.

Maybe it’s because Catra can always make Adora laugh or feel better.

Maybe it’s because Adora feels like she doesn’t have to always be strong with Catra.

The reason doesn’t matter, though, because Catra doesn’t feel the same way. Friends, maybe, but there’s no way Catra could ever love someone like her.

Adora smiles at her before turning back to see King Micah waving at the cheering crowd. He, along with his wife and daughter, all have bright smiles on their faces. Adora feels her eyes gloss over slightly with tears as she looks at the reconnected family. What she would give to see her family again…

Catra must notice Adora’s teary eyes because she places a gentle clawed hand on Adora’s shoulder. “You wanna get out of here for a minute?”

Adora nods, grateful for the distraction. Her tears only come faster as she looks into the kind eyes of the princess. Catra grabs Adora’s hand and pulls her to the door that leads to the now-empty outdoor gardens. She leads them to a balcony that overlooks Brightmoon.

Catra turns to Adora, “What’s wrong?”

Adora wipes her eyes with a sniffle. For anyone else, she would’ve come up with an excuse about being fine or just being tired, or something. But, despite only knowing her for a few months, Catra already knows all her tells. 

“It’s just… I wish I got the chance to see my family again, one last time.” Her voice cracks as a couple of tears slip out from her eyes. 

Catra pulls her into a loose hug, but Adora tightens it by wrapping her arms around Catra’s waist. She leans her head on the brunette’s shoulder. 

Despite being friends with all the princesses, Adora doesn’t feel like she can really show them her emotions, maybe with the exception of Glimmer and Bow. They might get scared she’ll hurt them, or they might think she’s faking her emotions to gain their sympathy. After all, they’ve been taught to fear and hate vampires.

She doesn’t feel that with Catra, though. Instead of holding in her emotions, Adora keeps crying in Catra’s arms. The Magicat runs her hands up and down the blonde’s back soothingly. 

Eventually, the tears run out and Adora lifts her head. Her eyes are puffy, and her face is blotchy-red. She definitely isn’t going back into the palace soon.

Catra smiles that same warm smile as she wipes the tears from Adora’s cheeks with her hands. She keeps one hand resting on Adora’s cheek, which Adora leans on. 

“Feeling better?”

Adora nods, “Thank you. You’re too kind to me.”

“Or maybe you’re just not kind enough to yourself.”

Adora looks at Catra to see her still smiling, but now there’s a playful hint to it. She laughs tearily, “How poetic, Catra.”

Catra laughs in that squeaky way Adora loves, “I know, I should be a poet. But I mean it, Adora. You should be kinder to yourself.” The two fall into a comfortable silence, filled only by the faint sounds of music and Adora sniffling. 

Once Adora doesn’t look like she’s been crying, Catra turns to Adora with a smirk.

“Hey, wanna go prank some guests?”

Adora grins, “How could I not?”

The two walk back into the palace side-by-side and giggling loudly.

Once they make it inside again, Glimmer comes up to them almost immediately.

“Hey, Adora, you okay?” She must have noticed Adora and Catra rushing out of the ceremony.

Adora nods, smiling, “Yeah, I’m fine. The ceremony was beautiful, by the way.”

Glimmer grins, “Thanks. My mom spent forever planning it.” The princess turns to Catra, “Can I talk to you, privately?”

Catra raises a brow, but nods. Adora gives her a comforting smile before leaving to find Bow. While she’s definitely curious about what they’ll talk about, Adora knows to give them privacy.

\----  
**Catra**

Glimmer leads her back outside to the same balcony she and Adora were standing at minutes ago. The two friends lean on the edge of the balcony, looking down at all the twinkling lights below.

“I’m… sorry, for never trying to be your friend.”

Catra sighs. 

A month ago, when Adora had told her about Micah being at Beast Island for all this time, Catra volunteered to go with Adora to find him. Catra couldn’t imagine that happening to her own father, and she wanted to help Glimmer, even though the sparkly princess had never made an effort for her. 

Adora told the rest of the princesses about Catra's volunteering, and they were all surprised she would do that. Catra got the chance to talk to them again, really talk to them, and she even thought of them as her friends. Who would’ve thought that all Catra needed to become friends with the princesses was a King stuck on an island?

“It’s fine, Glimmer. It’s not like I tried, either.”

Glimmer turns to her, “It’s not fine. You _did_ try to talk to us, but we all thought you were being mean and didn’t like us. I didn’t even try to get to know you, none of us did. We should have put in more effort, but we didn’t. We assumed you didn’t like us, and we gave up on you. I’m so sorry, Catra. You didn’t deserve that.”

Catra turns her head to look at Glimmer, only seeing truth in her eyes. She can feel her vision blur with unshed tears. She’s been waiting years for the princesses to take notice of her, to put even the slightest effort into getting to know her. Catra spent her childhood alone, with only the company of Melog, while the other princesses were best friends. Every night, she would wonder what was wrong with her to make the other princesses hate her when, in reality, they never hated her in the first place.

“I forgive you, and the other princesses. We’re friends now, and that’s what matters. Let’s leave the past in the past, and just be friends now. Besides, I was _way_ too cool as a kid to be friends with you and the other princesses. You guys wouldn’t stand a chance against me and Melog.” She crosses her arms and smirks playfully.

Glimmer laughs and shoves Catra’s shoulder as the Magicat laughs with her, “Shut up, Catra, we were having a moment!”

Catra uncrosses her arms and walks towards the door, “Come on, let’s go back inside. I bet I can beat you to the punch table.”

“Oh, you’re on!”

The two princesses run back into the palace, laughing. 

Being friends with the princesses is nothing like Catra thought it would be like. 

That’s a good thing, though, because this is better.

\----  
**Adora**

She closes the front door of her house as quietly as she can, despite knowing that Shadow Weaver isn’t even home right now. The masked woman told Adora that she’d be getting some ingredients for spells for the entire day and that she wouldn’t be back until later in the light. Shadow Weaver should still be busy in the night-time marketplace, so Adora should still be safe.

 _Should_ being the key word here.

Adora’s blood turns to ice when she hears the clacking of heels coming downstairs. She turns to see Shadow Weaver standing at the bottom of one staircase with a blank face. Adora tries to stay calm, but she knows she’s really fucked up now. 

“Wha-What are you doing here? I thought you had to get those ingredients for your spells.”

Shadow Weaver laughs darkly, and Adora’s face pales. “That was a _ruse_ , Adora. I was testing you, and you failed.”

Adora takes a step back, but Shadow Weaver takes two steps forward. “Wh-What are you talking about?”

“I told you not to leave the house while I was away, but you did anyway. Where did you go?”

“I went to go kill in Sali-”

“And enough with the excuses, Adora. I know you’ve been lying to me for months. So, where were you?”

Adora stays silent, looking down at the floor. Shadow Weaver sighs theatrically in front of her. She hears clicking heels come closer to her, but she doesn’t move an inch. 

Shadow Weaver places a scarred hand on Adora’s cheek and lifts her head up to look her in the eyes. Adora is shaking with fear but tries to keep her face as neutral as possible. Shadow Weaver’s never done this to her before. It reminds Adora of her mother, in some sick, twisted way. She wills herself not to lean into the touch, like she used to do with her mother’s.

“You can make it up to me, though.”

Adora’s eyes widened, “How?”

Shadow Weaver drops her hand from Adora’s face. Adora misses the feeling and is disgusted by it simultaneously. Instead, the dark sorceress grabs Adora’s arm tightly and drags her into the basement. Dread fills every inch of Adora, already knowing what’s coming.

The small cage which usually holds Adora now holds a terrified-looking young woman. The woman is chained to the ground and has obvious tear tracks down her cheeks. 

Shadow Weaver unlocks the door and, after unlocking the woman’s chains, throws her out of the cell and in front of Adora’s feet.

“Kill her, Adora.”

The woman at Adora’s feet cries again. Adora looks at her mentor pleadingly, “Why?”

Shadow Weaver sneers, “Because I told you to. Now, do it.”

Adora tries, one last time, to save herself and the woman, “Maybe you could wait upstairs, and I’ll clean up the mess myself.”

“No, I’m going to watch you.” Shadow Weaver crosses her arms and doesn’t move from her spot. Adora should’ve known this would happen, eventually. She should’ve been more careful.

Shakily, Adora takes her sword out. She raises it to rest the tip of the sword of the woman’s neck. 

“Please… don’t,” the woman pleads. A teardrop drips onto the shining sword. 

She can’t do this. Adora drops her sword back down to her side, clutching it so tightly that her knuckles turn white.

Shadow Weaver takes a step forward, “Kill her, now.” Her tone is sharp and leaves no room for discussion, but Adora makes room.

The vampire stays rooted in her spot, looking directly at Shadow Weaver, “No.” If Shadow Weaver’s going to kill her, anyway, she might as well go down fighting. There’s no use in fighting her fate now. She’s going to die.

“Fine, I’ll do it myself.” 

Shadow Weaver steps forward and casts a dark purple spell on the woman. Instantly, a dark light comes out of her and she floats up into the air, her neck directly in front of Shadow Weaver. 

Adora watches as Shadow Weaver removes her mask and drinks every drop of blood in the woman’s body violently until she’s a lifeless husk. The woman screamed until she died. There’s blood everywhere; covering Shadow Weaver’s face and robes, the floor, and even some splattered on Adora’s clothes.

Shadow Weaver turns to Adora, her scarred face covered in the innocent woman’s blood. She walks over and places a rough hand on Adora’s cheek. It’s then that Adora realizes she’s crying, her tears mixing with the blood on Shadow Weaver’s hand. The bloody woman pulls Adora’s face until she looks at her.

“When did you get so _weak_?”

More tears pour out of Adora’s eyes. Subconsciously, Adora shakes her head weakly.

Shadow Weaver tightens her grip, sharp nails digging into Adora’s face. “Oh, you don’t think you’re weak?” Her tone is a mix of amusement and pure rage.

Again, Adora shakes her head.

A dark, lifeless chuckle leaves the sorceress. Adora closes her eyes, not wanting to see the unmasked woman’s face anymore. 

“So, what are you, then? A good person?”

A sob cuts through Adora before she can stop it. Shadow Weaver laughs again, this time louder.

Adora tries to fight this time. She’s tired of hearing Shadow Weaver’s voice. Adora pushes Shadow Weaver’s hand away. Shadow Weaver watches Adora push her hand away in surprise. “You’re really still trying to fight back? What’s the use?”

“Le-Leave me a-alone.”

Before Adora can react, she’s being pulled into Shadow Weaver’s spell room. The dark sorceress throws Adora down onto the ground roughly. Adora’s sword lands on the concrete floor with a loud clang. She casts a dark spell towards Adora. 

“How _dare_ you disrespect me like this!”

When she casts the spell, it goes through Adora with no effects. Shadow Weaver’s eyes widened. Adora laughs, “Your magic doesn’t work on me anymore.”

Shadow Weaver casts an even bigger spell and pushes it onto Adora. Instead of the rune passing through her, a huge ray of purple light shoots out from her hand and into Adora. Again, the blonde doesn’t react, only smiling darkly.

“You can’t kill me with dark magic twice, you know.”

“SILENCE!” She casts a dark rune which makes all the air leave Adora’s old lungs. Adora gasps for breath, but she’s still smiling weakly.

“You… won’t… kill me,” she gasps out through her last remaining bit of air. 

“You’re right. I won’t kill you, I’ll make you wish I killed you.”

Shadow Weaver casts another rune onto the blonde which makes her move into the air, just like the other woman. She throws her down with a hard thud between two metal rods with handcuffs attached. She makes Adora put the handcuffs on, then drops her body.

“Horde Prime gave me this new machine to experiment with. You can be my first test subject.”

She grabs a metal device from a table beside her and presses one button. Immediately, painful green lightning courses through Adora’s body. Screams come out of her against her will as her body convulses with the shocks. Shadow Weaver increases the voltage, and the pain of the electricity is overwhelming. Her body convulses more, and her screams get louder.

After what feels like an eternity, the electrocution stops. Adora still shakes and twitches with the aftereffects as her body hangs lifeless on the handcuffs. 

“Tell me, who has been influencing you to think you can be anything but evil?”

Adora shakes her head, unable to speak.

“If you tell me, I’ll stop this torture.”

Again, Adora shakes her head. She’s not about to sell out her friends just so she won’t be in pain. She’s learned better than that.

Shadow Weaver sighs, “You’ve become such a disappointment, Adora.” The disappointment in her voice almost hurts as much as the electricity.

Adora sobs as the machine roars to life again with the press of a button. Her screams echo through the room as Shadow Weaver increases the voltage again. 

She keeps this pattern of switching from electricity to degrading words for what feels like hours until, finally, both stop. “I’ve had enough of this.”

With another press of a button, the handcuffs keeping Adora upright open and Adora drops to the floor with a thud. She can’t hold her body up enough to move an inch. Shadow Weaver does it for her, though.

A dark purple light comes from Adora as Shadow Weaver raises her near-lifeless body into a standing position. 

“Enough of this, Adora. If you agree to never disobey me like this again, I’ll spare you.”

Adora finds the strength to speak. Her voice is rough and weak, but it’s there, “I’ll _never_ kill for you, again.”

Shadow Weaver’s eyes widen in rage and she throws Adora’s body into the wall. The blonde lands on the ground, panting. 

“You will NEVER be good, and you know it!”

“You’re wrong,” Adora rasps.

Shadow Weaver moves to stand in front of Adora. “You’re wrong,” Adora repeats, louder.

Before Adora can prepare herself, Shadow Weaver kicks her roughly in the abdomen. And again, in her chest. And again, in her face. “Nobody. Will. Ever. See. You. As. Anything. But. A. Monster.” She punctuates each word with a kick to Adora, varying in location on her body. By the end of the attack, Adora lies, bruised and bloody, on the floor. Tears are pouring out of her eyes, but no noise comes from her bloody mouth. Adora’s blood, near-black and thick, drips onto the concrete as Shadow Weaver looks down at her. 

“Tell me who told you you could be a good person, now!”

Adora peeks an eye open, “Never.” Blood spurts out of her mouth and onto Shadow Weaver’s bloody shoes, the blood being a mix of the woman’s and Adora’s. In response, Shadow Weaver kicks her directly in the face again. Adora closes her eyes again.

Somewhere in her head, Adora knows she could get up right now. She could get up, grab her sword, and fight the maskless woman. She’s been in worse circumstances and gotten back up. Her sword could easily kill Shadow Weaver with one stab anywhere. That’s what makes her sword so dangerous to vampires; the magic in it that can kill any vampire, even Horde Prime. Would the magic even work now, given the dark magic infused into it? Adora’s not sure.

Knowing this, though, Adora doesn’t move from her spot lying on the floor. Does she really deserve to live after everything she’s done? She’s killed so many people, so why should she get the chance to live? Mothers, fathers, friends, daughters, sons, doctors, farmers, good people died all because Adora was angry, or hungry. She doesn’t deserve to live, so why not let the woman who made her into a monster kill her for a second time?

Adora opens her eyes, “Come on, kill me. I know you want to.” She grins weakly, but it fades as soon as it appears.

Shadow Weaver smiles, stretching the scars lining her face, “You’re really giving up that easily?”

“Yes, now get it over with.”

She laughs, “I never thought I’d live to see the day _Adora Grayskull_ gives up.”

At that, Adora closes her eyes as tears fall again. She knows that, if her family saw her now, they’d be nothing but disappointed in what she’s become.

By sheer will, Adora forces her eyes open one last time, “ _You_ made me this. You’re the one who turned me into a _monster_.” Her voice sounds angry despite her weak state.

Instead of kicking Adora again, Shadow Weaver turns around to grab Adora’s sword off of the floor. The corrupted gemstone and the shining metal glint in the light. “I didn’t make you into anything you weren’t already. You’ve always been evil, Adora, and you’ll be the cruel monster I made you for the rest of your life.” She moves to stand in front of Adora again.

Shadow Weaver crouches down to pick Adora up by the collar of her blood-stained shirt with the hand not holding Adora’s sword. Adora can’t find the strength to do anything but hang, only being held up by Shadow Weaver’s hand. 

“Your mother would be so disappointed in you.”

With a loud sob, the sword pierces through Adora’s gut, coming out of Adora’s back. Black blood pours out of the spot, albeit much less than the amount of blood the woman had. Adora gasps as the sword leaves her body.

“You’ve been nothing more than a nuisance to me, and you will never amount to anything more than that.” She tosses Adora’s lifeless body back onto the floor with a thud. The sword, dripping with its owner's blood, clatters beside her.

Adora looks up at the woman who has been her mentor for over five hundred years.

“I _hate_ you.” 

Adora has never hated anything, but she hates Shadow Weaver more than anything.

Shadow Weaver uses the same spell from before to drag Adora's lifeless body and her sword upstairs. She opens the front door and throws both of them outside like garbage. The dark sorceress looks down at her protégé in disgust as she slams the door shut. 

Adora looks at the closed door with a lifeless stare. Shadow Weaver left her to bleed out alone. She can't believe she really thought she could be a better person, that she could make a difference in Etheria. What an idiot she had been. She could get onto the skiff outside and get help, but what's the use. There's no point to living if she'll never win.

The vampire coughs weakly, and more blood spurts out of her mouth. The pain in her abdomen is gradually getting worse, and she knows that's the magic of her sword taking effect. She likely won't have much longer until the magic has done its job and killed her. 

It seems, after five hundred sixty-one years, that this is the end for Adora Grayskull…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY!! That cliffhanger was rough, though, right?
> 
> Anyway, so now you know more about Adora's backstory. She lived in Mystacor for a few hundred years with SW, and the only reason they allowed her to stay as a non-sorceress was because she was SW's ward. She knew both Micah and Castaspella while she stayed there. 
> 
> Also, a couple more notes about the chapter:  
> \- Adora didn't recognize Micah when Angella told her his name is because she'd been hoping that it was a coincidence that the King of Brightmoon and SW's old student share a name.  
> \- Shadow Weaver never found out about Adora going to Beast Island or leaving the house at all in the three days she was gone. Adora managed to get home before SW after bringing Micah back to Brightmoon.
> 
> By the way, I changed a couple of previous chapters to make sure they all make sense (the chapter with Casta in it, and the chapter with Adora's flashback in it). If you're rereading this fic and find plot holes, tell me and I'll fix them!
> 
> I'm aiming for a happy ending here, guys, so that means no lesbians die in this!!
> 
> Ok, bye-bye! I hope you liked this :)
> 
> Chapter title credit: Another Love- Tom Odell


	12. life is just begging to include you (but sometimes you just got to stay behind)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora is alone.
> 
> ...until she's not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I'm super excited for you guys to read this chapter, it's super angsty (if you couldn't already tell from the chapter title). I'll keep this short so you guys can get to reading.
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you do enjoy this, I would highly recommend leaving a kudo (if you haven't already done so) and/or a comment! They are both so so appreciated and are my main motivation for writing.
> 
> Anyway, bye-bye!
> 
> TW: suicidal thoughts (a lot of them), blood, descriptions of injury

\----  
 **Adora**

The five-hundred-year-old girl sits on the porch, in a pool of her own blood and alone.

The lights inside Shadow Weaver’s house have turned off. There are no streetlights. 

Adora is alone, sitting in pure darkness, the only light coming from the moons shining dimly above.

As Adora sits, staring at the sword she’s placed in her lap, she reminisces about everyone she’s lost in her life. 

Her parents, Marlena and Randor Grayskull.

Adam Grayskull, her twin brother.

Her childhood best friends; Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio.

Her old mentor, Mara Hope.

… and the list goes on and on.

All of them either died before Adora could, or left her behind. It’s not like Adora deserved their company, though, she’s a monster. It’s only a matter of time before Adora hurts them; hurting people is all she does.

It’s not just people she’s lost, either. Adora used to have so much hope and so many dreams for her future. Even after Shadow Weaver killed her, Adora still held onto her hope, praying to whatever deity was out there that she’d be free again one day. 

Months turned into years, then years into centuries; Adora’s hope faded until it was nonexistent as the years went by. She’d given up on the idea that she could ever be free from Shadow Weaver’s grasp until she’d met the princesses. 

What a fool she’d been to have hoped again. She should have learned her lesson the first time. Hope only leads to disappointment and pain, and Adora knows that better than anyone on Etheria.

The pain in her abdomen spikes as Adora twitches from the aftereffects of the hours of being tortured with electricity. Hesitantly, Adora lifts the hem of her shirt to reveal the stab wound. Her blood is drying, but there are still black tendrils covering her exposed skin. Adora recognizes the marks as the first sign of the sword’s old magic taking effect.

If dark magic hadn’t corrupted the sword, Adora would’ve died in an instant, the black tendrils spreading rapidly to cover her entire body until she was an unrecognizable husk. It was a gruesome death, but Adora’s fate is worse. She gets to watch the effects of her sword in slow-motion, despite her wishes to die as quickly as possible. 

As the pain spreads, Adora thinks of everyone she’ll miss when she’s gone.

The Best Friend Squad: Bow, Glimmer, and Catra

Her best friend, Hordak.

The princesses.

Catra.

She closes her eyes, not wanting to think of Catra’s reaction to her death. Catra might mourn her for a while, but she’d move on. Catra will be happier without Adora there. The vampire would only cause pain for the Magicat, it’s better if Adora leaves now and saves her the suffering. Besides, Catra already has all the princesses as her friends, she won’t miss Adora much.

Adora’s about to accept her death when she remembers why she got herself into this mess. She’s trying to be a good person, to be a kind person where Shadow Weaver is a cruel monster.

She and Hordak had a plan to succeed, and Adora ruined everything. Will Hordak even be able to defeat Horde Prime and Shadow Weaver by himself, then lead the Horde? Adora feels guilty for placing all the pressure on him, but he’ll probably be happier without having to deal with Adora. The only thing she’s done for Hordak is annoy him and get him into trouble, Adora doubts he’ll miss her very much.

Despite that, Adora still worries about the blue-haired man. What if Shadow Weaver goes after him, now that she knows Adora wants to be a good person? What if Horde Prime executes him, or sends him to Beast Island? 

The blonde remembers the last thing she said to Hordak. Adora had visited Horde Prime’s manor to look at her other weapons, the ones she keeps in Hordak’s sanctum for safekeeping. She was playing with Imp when Hordak told her to leave, since Horde Prime would get suspicious soon. Adora snuck out through the basement window, making some stupid joke about how Hordak should leave his lab sometimes. Hordak just chuckled and rolled his eyes as he walked away.

That’s not what she wants her last words to her long-time friend to be. She wants to apologize to him for ruining the entire plan and possibly his life. It’s the least he deserves, for all the trouble Adora’s given him. 

With that, Adora shifts to grab the small tablet she always keeps with her. Adora silently thanks Entrapta for making her a mini tablet that is discreet enough for the dark sorceress to not notice it.

The bright screen of the tablet stings in her eyes, which had adjusted to the darkness of the night. She taps the small screen until she finds Hordak’s contact. With a shaky hand, she clicks on his contact, blood smearing onto the glowing screen. Adora’s thankful that Shadow Weaver’s asleep right now, even though it would be impossible for her to see the glow of the screen.

Adora notices her reflection in the shiny screen. Her hair is a mess, mixed with tinges of blood. There’s blood all over her face, obvious tear tracks lining her cheeks, and her eyes are puffy and red.

After a few seconds of Hordak not reaching, tears blur Adora’s vision again. Why did she expect Hordak to care about her? It’s not like she’s ever helped him or been anything but a nuisance to him. The blonde is about to close the call and resign herself to her fate when Hordak picks up.

“Adora? What is it?”

At the sound of his voice, Adora bursts into tears. Hordak actually answered. Adora can say goodbye to him one last time. Through her blurred vision, Adora can see Hordak’s face wash over with concern as he takes notice of the state of Adora, definitely noticing the blood and tears.

“What’s wrong?” he asks. Adora’s never heard his voice sound so gentle before. It’s a pleasant change from the loud yelling of Shadow Weaver’s voice from earlier.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, I ruined everything. Goodbye, Hordak,” Adora says through sobs. 

Before an extremely concerned Hordak can respond, Adora ends the call and slumps against the floor. She tries to convince herself that everyone is better off this way, that Hordak will be better off without his useless friend to bother him anymore. 

Another surge of pain courses through Adora, and she groans as she curls into herself. She doesn’t need to pull up her shirt to know that the black tendrils are spreading quicker, engulfing her body in pain. 

She curls into a ball, grateful that she got to say goodbye to the one person who stuck by her through everything.

\----  
 **Hordak**

“Goodbye, Hordak.”

With that, the screen goes blank as Adora’s tearful and bloody face vanishes. 

For a moment, Hordak stares at his reflection through the black screen in shock. Did Adora just… say goodbye to him? No, this has to be some kind of sick joke. It has to be.

As soon as the shock passes, panic sets in. Why was Adora covered in blood? Why was she crying so much? What happened?

He opens up the tracker on his tablet and tracks Adora’s mini tablet. The map shows Adora is still at Shadow Weaver’s house.

Hordak slowly connects the dots in his head. If Adora’s with Shadow Weaver right now, and she’s crying and covered in blood, that could only mean that…

The vampire runs upstairs and, after grabbing some cow blood bags on the way, throws the front door open, running to his skiff. 

Thankfully, Horde Prime is busy at his factory, where he manufactures his clones. There was a problem with the inventory, so he went to deal with it himself, telling Hordak that it’d take a while to fix. Horde Prime doesn’t leave his home without Hordak often, but when he does, it’s a rare treat for Hordak.

The skiff roars to life and Hordak sets course for Shadow Weaver’s house. The ride isn’t long, since the two homes aren’t far from one another, but the journey feels like an eternity for Hordak as he worries for Adora.

He knows of the abuse Adora receives with Shadow Weaver, but there’s nothing he could do without getting caught, himself. If that were to happen, Horde Prime would likely take all his memories, like he does with the other clones when they make mistakes. Then he wouldn’t be able to help Adora or himself.

Hordak has seen glimpses of the bruises, the cuts, the scars, and the black veins that mar Adora’s body. He sees how little Adora cares for herself, and how much she hates herself, in the way she acts. He hears all the ways Adora’s degrading thoughts of herself mimic what Shadow Weaver tells her. The cries for help were there, bright and obvious for Hordak to hear. Despite knowing all that, Hordak did nothing to stop the masked woman.

He’s done everything he could to show Adora that she’s not what Shadow Weaver tells her she is, that she’s an amazing and strong person, but Shadow Weaver’s manipulated Adora enough for the blonde to not even consider herself worthy of love or kindness.

Adora’s always struggled with asking for help and Hordak knows that, even if she didn’t say it, that goodbye was Adora’s cry for help. It was her way of saying she needs someone to help her, even if she didn’t explicitly say that. Well, Hordak heard this cry for help, and he’ll finally listen.

Even if Hordak couldn’t help Adora then, he can help her now. He can make sure Adora knows just how much Hordak, and all of Adora’s friends, cares for her. Adora’s the closest thing Hordak has to a family, and he’ll do anything to ensure Adora’s happy and healthy because he’s certain she’d do the same for him.

Finally, the skiff reaches the outskirts of the large, dark house on the edge of the woods. He knows to not park close enough to the house that Shadow Weaver won’t see him, but that means he has to walk all the way over there.

He parks the skiff, grabs the blood bags, and begins the short walk to the dark house.

As he approaches the house, he sees a shaking figure sitting on the porch alone. Upon closer inspection, Hordak recognizes the figure as Adora curled up into a ball, surrounded by her own blood.

The vampire’s heart breaks for his friend, as he slowly makes his way up the few steps of the porch.

\----

She’s not sure when she closed her eyes in the first place, but Adora’s awoken to the sound of someone walking up onto the porch slowly.

Afraid of the person being Shadow Weaver, Adora instinctually cowers away from the person. She doesn’t get far because of her wound, but her feet try to push her away. Adora shuts her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the face of the woman who’s only hurt her. Tears well in her eyes as she realizes just how far the pain in her abdomen has progressed.

“Adora, relax. It’s me, Hordak.”

What? Adora said goodbye to Hordak, though. Why would he come back for her? It must be a hallucination, one caused by blood loss or maybe insanity.

Adora peeks an eye open to look at the person incredulously, only to see Hordak crouching down beside her. She unfolds herself from the curled-up position she was in. 

“Wh-What are you doing here?” she asks.

Hordak smiles sadly. “I’m here to help you.”

She uncurls further, opening both her eyes in genuine confusion as she asks, “Why? I-I don’t deserve it.”

A pained expression falls on Hordak’s face as his eyes gloss over. “You do, Adora. You deserve so much better than this.” Hordak clasps Adora’s bloodied hand in his own as the blonde looks down at their joined hands. 

The tears previously welling up in Adora’s eyes slide out as a sob rips through her. She’s become so accustomed to hearing Shadow Weaver tell her she deserves nothing good because of how useless she is. Adora never realized how much she’d missed positive affirmations. 

Adora told herself she’d never ask for help. It’s a sign of weakness, and Adora doesn’t want anyone to know how weak she truly is. But it’s been so long, and she’s so tired…

The blonde uses her last shred of strength to push herself forward and wrap her arms tightly around Hordak’s neck as she sobs more. Hordak reciprocates the hug as he rubs his hands up and down her back to ground her to the present. Adora leans her head on Hordak’s shoulder, a much needed support right now.

Adora’s cries and sobs echo out into the vast darkness of the night. All the emotions she was hiding in front of Shadow Weaver spill out of her as she tightens her grip on Hordak. Blood and tears soak into the front of Hordak’s black shirt as Adora shakes with emotion in his arms. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she says repeatedly in hushed whispers through her sobs, like a broken record. Hordak hugs her tighter, the only comfort he can offer right now. “You did nothing wrong, Adora. You did nothing to deserve this.”

“Let me help you,” Hordak says once Adora’s loud sobs have died down to silent crying, a single tear rolling down his pale face and onto the top of Adora’s head. It truly breaks his heart to see Adora in this state. He’s seen many low points in Adora’s life before, but nothing compares to this.

One painstakingly long moment later, Adora nods. “Okay.”

With that, Hordak moves to lift Adora up onto her feet. As soon as he moves her, Adora groans in pain and shuts her eyes tightly. Hordak’s eyes drop to the large bloodstain on Adora’s shirt. He then glances at Adora’s sword covered in dried blood resting on the floor beside them and connects the dots.

“Adora, did Shadow Weaver stab you with your sword?” Hordak asks.

The vampire nods, humiliated. Hordak’s heart drops; he knows the capabilities of the ancient Eternian sword. Adora doesn’t look Hordak in the eyes as she says, “The magic is spreading, I don’t have much longer.”

Slowly, Hordak lifts Adora’s shirt just enough to see the huge black tendrils pouring out of the stab wound on her abdomen and gasps. Hordak was planning on taking Adora back to Horde Prime’s manor and letting her heal in his sanctum. But that isn’t an option anymore. Adora won’t get better, not without help. Not without magic.

Hordak instead opts to carry Adora back to the skiff parked outside the house’s property. Adora taps his shoulder to get his attention as she says, “Just leave me behind, Hordak. It’s not worth it.”

“I’m not leaving you behind, Adora! It- _You’re_ worth it, alright?”

“Etheria will be better off without me. You’ll be better off without me.”

At that, Hordak grows enraged. Not at Adora, but at the woman who made Adora believe that she’s worthless. “Nobody will be better off without you! Please, don’t give up, Adora.” His voice drops to a whisper at the end. 

“It’s better this way.” Her voice cracks at the end of her sentence. 

“You can’t give up that easily. I won’t let you.”

Adora sighs and doesn’t respond, dropping her tired head backwards. This time, though, she doesn’t accept her death. Maybe she’ll keep going, just a little longer, to see what happens. 

The two friends eventually reach the skiff, and Hordak gently places Adora down onto the metal before moving to the controls. He sets the skiff to auto-pilot, a feature Entrapta only recently installed into the machine, and moves to sit beside Adora. The skiff leads them to Brightmoon.

He grabs one of the blood bags and pops open the spout, handing it to Adora. The blonde immediately begins gulping down the deep red liquid quickly in the hopes it will heal her other injuries. It doesn’t work, and it usually does.

Once Adora has finished the entire bag, she places it down in her lap. She turns to weakly smile at Hordak sheepishly. “Thank you.”

Hordak smiles, but there’s still a sad glint in it. “Of course, Adora. Now, would you mind telling me what happened?” he asks.

Just like that, any semblance of a smile disappears from Adora’s features as she looks down at her lap again. Despite being the last thing she wants to do right now, Adora explains what happened.

“Uh, I got back from the welcoming celebration for King Micah and Shadow Weaver was there waiting for me. The whole ‘getting ingredients’ thing was a trick, so she could see if I left when she told me not to. She said I could make it up to her by killing a human she had kidnapped in the basement.”

Hordak notices her pale face and passes her another bag of blood wordlessly, which Adora opens and sips while continuing to retell the story.

“Did you do it?” he asks. His tone doesn’t sound accusatory, just calm as he sits patiently and listens.

Adora shakes her head slowly. “No, I couldn’t. Shadow Weaver killed the woman in front of me. There wa-was blood e-everywhere.” Adora’s shoulders shake as she remembers the woman’s face of horror as she drained the blood out of her. 

Adora finds it hard to believe that, just a few months ago, she used to do the same thing; kill senselessly, without a care in the world. Now, all she can think of is who is going to miss that woman now that she’s dead, or who that woman left behind with her death. Every lost life, every funeral planned because of her, every mourning family, every single one all caused by Adora. It makes her sick to think about.

Hordak wraps an arm around her shoulders to still the shaking and calm the blonde. Adora takes a couple shaky sips of the cow’s blood before continuing the retelling. She feels so weak, but she can’t find the strength to do anything but keep talking.

“Shadow Weaver kept talking about how weak I was, and she was laughing at me, so I told her to leave me alone. She got angry and threw me into her spell room. Then, she tried using dark magic on me, but it didn’t work. She cuffed me onto this metal machine I’d never seen before.”

Hordak’s arm tightens around the blonde. Adora quickly glances over at him to see a mortified, but knowing look on his face. He doesn’t speak, though, so Adora continues.

“She, um, she electrocuted me for hours, only stopping to yell at me to tell her who’s been influencing me, then turning the machine on again. It was- It was so awful, Hordak.” Her voice shakes as she finishes speaking, remembering the seemingly endless pain of the electricity. Shadow Weaver had never used electricity on her before, in the decades that Adora’s known her.

Hordak nods. “I know,” he says, with no further explanation.

Adora doesn’t turn to him this time as Hordak says, “Horde Prime used to use that machine on me, when I used to show emotions in front of him.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry, Hordak.” She leans her head on his shoulder in an act of support, the only thing she can do given her circumstances. Hordak rubs her shoulder for a second, before going back to being perfectly still.

Hordak sighs. “It’s alright, it’s in the past. Go on with your story, if you’re able to.”

“Okay. After she got bored with that, she took me off and kicked me on the floor until there were blood and bruises everywhere,” she says. With that, Hordak’s hand on Adora’s shoulder loosens. Adora smiles, appreciating the slight gesture.

To finish her story, Adora says, “That’s when she stabbed me with the sword and threw me outside with it.” She glances at the sword they brought with them onto the skiff. Adora’s not exactly sure why Hordak brought it, but she won’t question it right now.

“Thank you for telling me. You’re safe now, I promise.”

The two ancient friends fall into a calm silence, the only sound being the consistent hum of the skiff engine. They stay like that, leaning on each other for support and listening to the rustling of leaves around them, until Hordak’s voice breaks the silence.

“When we arrive at Brightmoon, promise me you’ll fight. Promise me you won’t give up.”

Adora sighs, tired, “What’s the point?”

“The _point_ is that you can’t give up this easily. I’ve known you for over five centuries, and I’ve never seen you give up. Don’t start now, okay? Please, Adora.”

The words remind Adora of what Shadow Weaver said about Marlena being disappointed in what Adora’s become. Deep down, Adora knows Shadow Weaver is right. Her mother would hate her for the monster she let herself turn into. If Adora’s own mother would’ve hated her, then the princesses definitely do, too. Catra probably just pities Adora, and that’s why she’s been so kind to the vampire. There’s no other explanation for her kindness towards Adora.

Unless… Does she feel the same way?

No. _No._

Adora shuts that thought out as quickly as it came. She learned a long time ago to not hold on to hope, anymore. Hope just leads to disappointment, and Adora knows better. Hope makes Adora believe that there’s a possibility of a peaceful future for her somewhere, when she knows that that could never be true.

The blonde shakes her head, “Nobody would miss me, Hordak. They’d move on, and so would you.” In the distance, the tips of Brightmoon Palace come into view. Dread fills Adora’s body, along with pain radiating from her wound. 

Hordak moves to sit in front of Adora, gripping her shoulders. His grip is the only thing keeping Adora upright; she can almost feel the black tendrils covering more and more of her body, swallowing her body in pain.

The blue-haired vampire looks at Adora with such a determined and heartbroken look in his eyes that Adora can’t help but listen.

“That’s not true, Adora. The Princesses would miss you. Etheria would miss you. I would miss you. I-I can't do this without you.”

Adora shuts her eyes, not wanting to think about them, or Hordak, dealing with her death. It’ll only make this so much harder.

“And what about Catra? You don’t think she would miss you if you died?” Hordak asks.

With that, Adora peeks her eyes open again. It’s getting more and more difficult to keep them open, but she does at the mention of the Magicat.

“She would move on. She has other friends, ones that are better for her.”

Hordak scoffs, “You haven’t realized yet? Adora, Catra loves you.”

Adora’s eyes widened. “W-What? How do you know?”

His eyes soften when he says, “Whenever she looks at you, she gets this certain look on her face that makes it clear she’s in love with you.”

“How would you know what that look looks like?” 

“Because I see it on your face when you look at her. I know you, Adora, and I've _never_ seen you look at anyone the way you look at Catra.”

Adora looks down, not wanting to feel the hope brewing in her chest, as a pale blush coats her cheeks. She picks at her nails as she tries to shove down the feeling deep down, somewhere she can’t find it.

Hordak grabs both her hands to stop the fidgeting. Adora looks up at him when he says, “You’d be breaking Catra’s heart by leaving. Please, stay and fight.”

Just then, another wave of pain hits Adora and her eyes droop closed. She sees Brightmoon Castle behind her as the skiff stops in its tracks. Hordak moves to pick Adora up again as he leads them off the skiff and down the narrow bridge leading to the palace.

Adora can only see small glimpses of her surroundings as she’s carried, her eyes barely holding on to their strength. In those tiny moments of light, Adora sees many things.

Hordak yelling for help with a scared look on his face, more scared than Adora’s ever seen him.

Terrified guards moving to let them in. Hordak walking down the halls, looking for anyone who can help them.

Angella and Micah’s worried glances as they look down at Adora’s bloody and bruised form. Distantly, Adora thinks of how much Micah’s grown since she met him in Mystacor. 

Glimmer’s face crumpling in sadness and worry over the blonde’s weak state as she places a hand on Adora’s shoulder to rouse her. Adora not moving, too weak to do anything but teeter on the edge of consciousness and unconsciousness.

Hordak practically running into the infirmary, followed closely by Angella, Micah, and Glimmer. Being led into one of the hospital rooms.

Being placed gently down onto the soft hospital bed as nurses and doctors filter into the room. Hordak, Glimmer, Micah, and Angella discussing what to do beside her. Adora doesn’t filter into the conversation, not caring to know what they’ll do to her. She trusts them.

Eventually, the initial panic of the room dies down as Adora rests. She doesn’t know how long she sleeps for, just that it wasn’t very long.

When she awakens, Adora doesn’t hear anyone’s voices. They probably left to go deal with more important matters. Although, Adora can feel a hand holding her own.

Curious, Adora peeks her eyes open to see who’s sitting by her side. Bow’s worried, but relieved expression appears in front of her. “Hi, Adora. How do you feel?”

Adora smiles, but it’s shaky. “Hey, Bow Not too good, actually.” Bow smiles at the sarcasm, glad Adora’s still well enough to use any.

“Hordak went to get an update on how we’re going to heal you, since normal medicine doesn’t work on you.” Ah, the curses of being from a dead kingdom _and_ being an ancient vampire.

The blonde practically ignores everything Bow just said. She doesn’t want them to waste any more time on her. The pain in her abdomen is even worse now, some even spreading to her chest. She wants to say goodbye, though.

“Bow, have I ever told you I love you?” She tightens her grip on his hand.

He smiles, surprised by the subject change, and shakes his head.

Adora smiles warmly at him, “Well, I do. You were the first human to be kind to me since _I_ was human, too, and that was a very long time ago. I don’t know where I’d be if you hadn’t talked to me that day when I first visited Brightmoon. Thank you, Bow.”

Bow’s smile fades as Adora keeps talking, realizing what Adora’s trying to tell him.

“Wha- Is this you saying goodbye?” He asks, tears welling in his dark brown eyes, and Adora’s as she nods.

He shakes his head, “No. No, we’ll fix this, Adora. You’ll survive this, okay? You will.” The tears slide down his face, fear clear on his face.

Adora’s heart breaks at his terror. “It’s okay, Bow,” she says to comfort him. It has the opposite effect.

“Stop saying goodbye, Adora! Please, don’t lose hope, yet,” He says, his voice dropping to a whisper. As he looks up at Adora’s face, he knows that it’s already too late for that. Shadow Weaver destroyed any hope left in Adora a long, long time ago.

Adora’s about to continue her goodbye when the door to the hospital room slams open to reveal Glimmer, Micah, Angella, Hordak, and…

… Castaspella?

The black-haired sorceress rushes to Adora’s side. She wipes the tears on Adora’s bloodied cheeks away with her hands. Her hands are so gentle on the bruises painted on the blonde’s face. Nothing like Shadow Weaver’s touch. 

Adora leans into the touch on instinct as she looks up at the sorceress to ask, “Casta? What are you doing here?” 

Castaspella smiles at the nickname Adora gave her as a kid, though there’s a gleam of sadness in her eyes. “Hello, Adora. You helped me, so I’m here to help you.”

Adora glances over from her now seated position on the bed to Glimmer, who asks, “Wait, you two know each other?!” 

Castaspella gives Adora one more comforting smile, which Adora tries to reciprocate, before standing up to face her niece. Adora immediately misses the comfort of the hand on her cheek. Instead, Micah comes over to stand beside Adora as he reads something out of a spell book, holding a bottle of something undeniably magical in his other hand.

“Adora saved my life not too long ago, and I want to repay her for her kindness. I used to know her when I was a kid, too, when Adora lived in Mystacor.”

Angella grins at Adora, but the blonde can see the underlying worry underneath it. Instead of discussing the fear everyone is feeling, Angella asks, “Does Adora know every sorcerer in Etheria?” Her tone is meant to be light, but everyone is still worried as they look between Adora and Micah as he works with the book.

Adora laughs—it sounds more like a hoarse wheeze—as she says, “When you get to be as old as me, you meet a lot of different people in every kingdom.” Hordak, who’s standing by her side, smiles down at her with understanding in his eyes. They've met a lot of people along the way, and Adora's glad she got to have so many life experiences in her time, even if most of them were quite violent.

Hordak, as if sensing her thoughts, grabs her hand and clutches it tightly in his as he changes the subject with a stern voice. “Your life isn’t over yet, Adora. You can’t give up now, okay? You still have so many more people to meet.”

It’s then that Adora finally feels the fatigue and pain that’s been weighing her down for so long. It would be so easy to give in, to allow herself to stop after living for so long. Has she really been living all this time, though? Adora didn’t live the past five hundred years, she survived.

“I’m so tired, though,” Adora says. Her voice cracks, no matter how much she forces it not to. Tears fall from her eyes at a slow pace.

Tears well up in Hordak’s eyes and slide down his face, too, but he still smiles shakily at her. Adora rarely sees Hordak cry, especially not directly in front of her like this. Maybe there was some truth in what he was saying about him caring…

“I know, Adora, I know you are. But, please, just keep going for a little longer. I can’t rule the Horde without you by my side,” he says in a hushed tone.

Finally, the fatigue and pain reach a point that even Adora can’t handle. Her eyes flutter shut as her grip on Hordak’s hand loosens. The last thing Adora hears is the sound of Hordak crying as he grips her lifeless hand in his own. The last thing Adora sees is all of her closest friends either watching teary-eyed as she falls unconscious or frantically trying to find a solution before it’s too late.

If Adora had stayed awake for just a moment longer, she would’ve seen Catra frantically run into the room, looking for Adora.

If Adora had stayed awake for just a moment longer, she would’ve heard Catra cry along with everyone else above Adora’s body. 

If Adora had stayed awake for just a moment longer, she would’ve felt Catra hold her hand and gently place her own forehead on Adora’s.

But she didn’t stay awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: they weren't just chit-chatting while Adora was dying, if that wasn't obvious. (SPOILER WARNING) They're going to use sorcery to heal Adora, and Micah is setting the spell up to use. The rest of the group is just waiting for him to begin, and distracting Adora from the pain. 
> 
> I know most of you were asking who was going to come to Adora's rescue last chapter, but I thought it would be more fitting if Adora had to ask for help herself instead of just being rescued against her will. Adora has to want to live, and she has to fight for it. I didn't want to undermine all the effort Adora went through in order to ask Hordak for help.
> 
> Ok, bye! Hope you guys liked this :)
> 
> Chapter title credit: Stay Behind- Mother Mother (Note: this is an AMAZING song that everyone who reads this should check out!)
> 
> Oh, and here's a drawing of the BFS I made!!   
> [](https://ibb.co/1KbZ9Sm)  
> [duplicate url finder](https://dedupelist.com/)  
> There's a better version on my tumblr, [eloquentsapphic](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/eloquentsapphic).


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